Part Gothic romance, part psychological thriller, The Curse of Knowing is a remarkable entry into fiction writing by former Italian advertising executive Aldo Cernuto. With his first novel, Cernuto, who honed his storytelling skills as creative director with some of the world’s top agencies including Young & Rubican, surprises not only by creating and giving voice to a wholly believable female protagonist, but by doing so in his second language.

Cernuto gives the reader a front row seat into the life, past and present, of Vittoria Armieri, a cleaning woman working in anonymity at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage in present-day Rome. The pacing is quick and Cernuto avoids leading the reader down any rabbit holes; effectively blending the surreal with the realities of every day life into an effective montage that keeps the pages turning.

As Cernuto and Vittoria draw us into a life that, at first blush, seems extraordinary, we are exposed to elements of it that, over time, challenge our perspective and assumptions and cause us to reflect on our own lives, leading to an unexpected conclusion in which we are encourage to partake.