This reading group guide for ALL THAT IS LEFT OF LIFE includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

It’s a sultry August night when sixteen-year-old Betta Ansaldo convinces her cousin Miriam to sneak out to the local beach for a party. Only Miriam returns. Traumatized by the violence she’s witnessed, she remains silent. Their small community is riven with grief, none more so than the Ansaldos, who search for answers they cannot find. Who did Betta cross paths with on that fateful night? What was she doing there? And how could such a horrific crime happen in such a peaceful place?

As the years pass, and Betta’s murder goes unsolved, the Ansaldo family fractures under the weight of their loss. When Miriam meets Leo, a sweet-natured young man with a dark past, their romance seems to turn her life around. But when Leo starts to pull loose the threads of Betta’s story, determined to find out what really happened, his search for the truth risks unraveling everything.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. Reflect on the title, All That Is Left of Life. What does the phrase suggest about grief and what remains after devastating loss? By the end of the novel, does the title feel tragic, hopeful, or both?

2. “All that violence smacked of retaliation,” the narrator tells us on page 134, “of subduing a woman you could not forgive for being too much.” Discuss some instances of women in the book being “too much” and the consequences that come of it.

3. On page 163, Stelvio says, “We’re here, talking, debating whether [Betta] was respectable or not . . . What difference does it make? Why do you care?” In what ways are respectability and justice at odds with each other in the book? Which side does each character take, and what informs their stance?

4. What draws Miriam to Leo, and Leo to Miriam?

5. Corallina takes an instant liking to Miriam. What does Corallina see in her? What does their relationship look like over the course of the story?

6. On page 389, the men responsible for Betta’s death “agree that there are so many girls who should be put in their place without much fuss, that men should be able to act like men.” How do gendered expectations drive violence throughout the book?

7. Throughout the book, we see narration from the perspective of parents whose children have done monstrous things. Why do you think Recchia chooses to show this? What significance do parents have in the book?

8. When the truth about the night of Betta’s death is finally revealed, the details are graphic and difficult to read. Why do you think the author chose not to have the reader look away from the violence? How does this scene change your understanding of Betta and Miriam?

9. The novel follows several characters as they carry and confront trauma. Which characters seem most transformed by the end, and what does the book suggest about what healing requires?

10. On page 406, Emma Bassevi says, “Without sacrifice, love is nothing.” How does this line illuminate the choices made by Miriam, Leo, Betta’s family, and other central characters?

11. Sister Bertilla plays a significant role in the novel’s emotional and spiritual landscape. What does she represent to the characters, and why do you think Recchia chooses to end the book with her? How does that final focus shape the novel’s themes?

12. All That Is Left of Life is deeply atmospheric, from its 1980s Rome setting to the coastal heat, family homes, and charged silences. Which descriptions, lines of dialogue, or sensory details most immersed you in the world of the novel? How does the setting intensify the book’s emotional stakes?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Read another work of literary fiction set in Italy. How does its portrayal of family, place, secrecy, grief, or social change compare with All That Is Left of Life? In what ways do the two novels use Italy not just as a setting but as a force that shapes the characters’ lives?

2. What does violence against women look like in your own country? What parallels do you see in your own country or culture, and how have public attitudes, laws, or conversations changed over time?