Narratives of child sexual abuse in Cristina Comencini's Novel 'La bestia nel cuore'

Abstract

Italian novelists, playwrights and poets have told interesting but understudied stories of child sexual abuse. This type of abuse has been found to be more widespread in Italy than previously thougt, and contemporary authors such as Maraini and Comencini have denounced it as an example of violence against women in a patriarchal society. I analyse Comencini’s novel La bestia nel cuore, published in 2004, and show that more narratives may be needed, and are in the making, as over-reliance on a single narrative may lead to a loss of critical reflexivity.