Translated by Elizabeth Harris. Francesca Benvenuto’s debut novel, So They Know It’s Me, offers a poignant look at life in Naples, a city whose troubled past has sparked international interest, especially after the success of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet. While Ferrante’s work follows the sprawling lives of Lenu and Lila from childhood to adulthood, Benvenuto’s novel focuses on a brief, yet transformative, period in the life of 15-year-old Zeno.

In Ferrante’s novels, criminality often lurks on the fringes of the girls’ stories; they are seldom directly involved, even as their lives are permeated by its influence. For Zeno, crime isn’t a peripheral element—it’s a way of life. Raised in the notorious Forcella neighbourhood, he delivers drugs on his motorbike and pickpockets to survive. At just 15, he’s already proficient with a gun.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/08/13/so-people-know-its-me-francesca-maria-benvenuto/

An original idea, but I struggled a lot with the writing style. It seemed far too tame and controlled for what was supposed to be an adolescent character. The writing was boring in parts, lacking depth and emotion, and didn’t feel personal enough for a story like this. The only thing that kept me reading was knowing there was a twist at the end.

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s raw and beautiful. It reminded me how much of who we become is just luck: where you're born, what you're born into, and what options you’re given or not given.
The main character makes mistakes but there is an innocence about him, the way he expresses himself so honestly and openly.
I have to admit, I wish the writer had been someone with lived experience of the criminal justice system.
Still, I’d recommend reading it. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for letting me read a copy in advance.

A visceral story told with precision.

At just 160 pages, So People Know It’s Me is economical in words, massive in impact—my favourite kind of read. It sidesteps the brawls, chaos, and high-stakes drama often found in prison stories.

Zeno’s voice takes center stage. At fifteen, he’s already of age—not in a coming-of-age sense, but because he’s committed a crime and is serving time. His tone is matter-of-fact, and when he speaks of violence, it’s chilling not for what’s said, but for how little it’s dwelled on.

Instead of dramatising brutality, the book lets violence simmer in the background, making room for something rarer: a boy’s tender, clear-eyed reflection on justice, time, and selfhood. I was disarmed by his honesty, and moved by the quiet hope he still holds for the future. Read it and tell me if his voice does linger for you too.

“I wish I'd been born a child. But I wasn't even that lucky—they made me be grown up, right from the start.”

“What saves me in here is my thoughts and memories that are beautiful, even if they're made up—but who's gonna know, anyway?”

A report from juvenile jail – as the island young offenders' called Nisida, just outside Naples, houses our narrator, Zeno. He's a kid from the alleys of the city's poorer districts, who dealt with drugs and was a pickpocket and thief, and who is inside for shooting someone he knew was there to kill him. But he's writing this with all positivity, as he still has faith in his pride and gangster-like conviction and morals, and because the Italian teacher getting him to learn about writing and literature has promised two days' furlough over Christmas. Unless something bad happens before then…

This could have been so much, much worse. Just think of the bleeding-heart liberal outlook it could have offered. Instead, it does kind of stumble when the kid is thinking of becoming a novelist (there is justification enough for this script to exist, we didn't need that layer), but on the whole it is much more balanced and sensible. Zeno is someone who never gives the names of his fellow criminals to Teach, until he does – and prays, before declaring that he was never taught how to. While being so confused, he's adamant there is nothing to be said and done about his crimes, they're just a part of him and a part of life – and that a standard world could await with his sweetheart, eventually.

This is very Italian – and I don't mean the italicised phrases that not even Google translate can get into English. Zeno is very much someone with religious sentiment, of some clumsy kind, and definitely a lad in love with his mother, even if she was/is a hooker. And it's clear this is imbued with the Neapolitan spirit, from the dialect down. "In here, we don't got friends – that ain't allowed" – that may seem like a clumsy Americanisation from the translator, but it clearly shows the untutored voice of Zeno, and the separation between Naples Italian and Italian Italian. His tutor is called "Teach" but he never uses that as a verb – no, people who train and educate actually "learn" other people in this lingo.

It does feel odd that it was set over the last months of 1991 – the author's endnote suggests it's based on personal knowledge of the place, even if she looks far too young to have been involved then. She has to move a real-life trip to Naples for the Pope to fit it in. But I think that's just one more thing you have to accept about this – you can't really love the kid, who declares he'd have cropped Teach's ears off to have at her finest earrings in the outside world. But while you can't love him per se you can admire his thinking, and respect his opinions – and how they're presented here in such a concise, clipped yet readable fashion. This is a novella more or less (the Italian-language audio a little over three hours), and it's a surprisingly enjoyable one. A strong four stars (falling or otherwise).

So People Know It’s Me by Francesca Benvenuto

Devastatingly simple, simply devastating
—
Zeno is fifteen, full of swagger and front, and locked up in a juvenile prison for killing another bag boy. All he can see is the sea but with the promise of a furlough home for Christmas. As he writes his story for his Italian teacher, his life comes into full focus: the difficulties of life for him and his mother and sister, the opportunities that he had to take, his real feelings over his current circumstances. But always, there’s the hope of outside, of seeing his Mamma again and the local girl who’s waiting for him.

With a narrator who simply pounces up from the page, Benvenuto’s devastatingly simple novel gives us one particular world with a stylistic economy that reflects the main character and his story. The ending is tragic but utterly inescapable, and gives the book its urgency and reason to exist.

The story of Zeno a 15 year old boy, currently in juvenile detention, how he got there and his hopes for when he leaves.

The author is a lawyer who has experience defending minors. This explains why the characters are so utterly believable. Even though all the boys have committed crimes they are still sensitive and caring, especially to those they love.

Zeno’s voice was written in Neopolitan dialect, some may struggle with this but I found it to be a further example of how well the author knows her subject.

This was a gritty but human coming of age story that I will think about for a long time. My only ‘complaint’ is that it was too short. I read it in one evening but I wanted to spend more time with Zeno and his friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A short read that packs a punch! Really interesting prose and a dark subject matter that hooks you instantly.

A literary fiction for the summer. Dazzling prose and characters to immerse yourself in. This is an enjoyable read!

3.5/5

Sad and a rather dark tale of a 15 yr old in a juvenile prison in Naples. On the insistence of his Italian teacher and in exchange for a Christmas furlough, Zeno writes and recounts his past and a hope for the future. A Childhood snatched away too soon due to circumstances, experiences inside the prison, a hope for normalcy once out and where it all finally ends. A tight narrative that brings to focus the people on the margins of the society, a child desperate to remain once but unfortunately doesn’t get to be one. Translated from the Italian by Elizabeth Harris. Well worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC.

A masterpiece, different from anything else I have read. A gritty good read, the characters and storyline captivating.

So People Know it’s Me is an unforgettable novel told in a series of diary entries written by a 15 year old delinquent in prison for murder.

Zeno lives in Naples, picking pockets and delivering baggies doing what he needs to do to make sure him and his mother survive. As well as spending time with the girl he loves whenever he gets a chance and planning for their future together. His life is difficult, but fulfilling. Until a rival gang member pulls a gun on him and Zeno shoots first, landing him in prison on an island away from everyone he loves with nothing but a small window that taunts him with the outside world. Zeno promises the kindly prison counselor to write his life story in exchange for a few days back home for Christmas. But there are people on the outside that want revenge.

Zeno was a really compelling character, I could hardly put the book down reading every new entry as he spoke about his life. He may have his image of a gangster to maintain, but as you read his thoughts you see his true self. He’s sensitive and thoughtful, loyal to those he loves.

The tone and style of writing was perfect for this story. I enjoyed how the narrative switched from what was happening in the moment in prison to his past and how he ended up there. It was a raw and poignant story that kept me thinking about it long after I finished. I’ll certainly be awaiting a new novel by this author!

A very short but powerful read that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I finished it. I have already recommended it to all of my reader friends

This is definitely making my favourite books of the year. It is beautifully written, with a strong and memorable character voice, thought-provoking reflections on morality, a heartwarming relationship which develops across the book, and a feeling of anxiety which looms throughout. It made me smile, made me cry, and made a massive impact despite only being 160 pages long.

The book follows Zeno, a fifteen-year-old boy who is in a juvenile prison for murder after a run-in with a rival gang. The story is told from his perspective, as he writes to his prison school teacher for a creative writing assignment.

It’s a book about survival, wanting a better life, and trying to be positive despite difficult circumstances. There’s something so impactful about a character writing directly to someone else, and I enjoyed Zeno’s meandering thoughts about his past and dreams for the future. I really felt for him as he navigated life in prison and attempted to stay hopeful, whilst also reflecting on the experiences that led to his imprisonment.

If you’re looking for a short book that packs a punch, then this needs adding to your tbr! Thank you so much to Pushkin Press for the NetGalley arc.

There’s something incredibly special about a book that pulls you into a world so vividly, you can almost feel the heat rising from the pavement, hear the roar of a motorbike through narrow streets, and sense the ache of a boy growing up too fast. So People Know It’s Me is one of those books.

Set in the underbelly of Naples, this story follows Zeno, a 15-year-old boy who’s already lived a lifetime of survival, loyalty, and quiet longing. After a fatal confrontation with a rival gang member, Zeno finds himself on Nisida, a juvenile prison island that feels both surreal and too real. Through his journal—written in exchange for a Christmas visit home—we see a side of him the world rarely does: honest, raw, and heartbreakingly hopeful.

What struck me most is how Francesca Benvenuto writes with such compassion and clarity. You can tell this story comes from someone who has truly listened to voices like Zeno’s in real life. The blend of Italian and Neapolitan dialect (beautifully translated) gives the novel an immediacy and intimacy that’s hard to shake.

This isn’t a story that offers easy answers, but it’s one that stays with you. Zeno’s voice, his dreams, his contradictions—they feel like someone you knew once, someone you still wonder about.

If you’re looking for a coming-of-age story that’s honest, gritty, and beautifully human, So People Know It’s Me deserves a spot on your TBR.

Zeno is a fifteen year old murderer, serving his sentence in Nisida Juvenile Detention Centre, a prison on an island, surrounded by the sea. Zeno dislikes the sea and his teacher in the prison, Teach, has challenged him to find something beautiful about it. Teach is the recipient of the letters that make up this book. Zeno is hoping to be allowed home for two days at Christmas and Teach has said she'll put in a good word for him in exchange for his story.

Through Zeno, we learn about the other prisoners - all children - as well as the guards and other staff at the prison. For someone who has spent their life fighting a system that has only worked to keep him and his family down, Zeno is a pretty decent narrator. He doesn't shy away from his crimes or the life he is likely to lead when released, but we do see little glimmers of what his life could be if he - and the world - gave him the chance that Teach wishes for him.

I also really enjoyed his friendship with Corradino, a young person who had been judged by everyone else and could so easily have been an easy target in Nisida but is just accepted for who they are. Corradino is not the only character who finds life easier inside Nisida than out, which says a lot about the lives these children have had up until their incarceration.

This wasn't an easy read in terms of the content (nothing too graphic, but desperately sad) but I did enjoy the style, which was almost like it was written in verse.

I won't reveal anything to do with the ending, other than to say it was so far from what I had been expecting but probably shouldn't have been the shock that it was.

Elizabeth Harris has done a superb job in rendering Zeno’s voice in such a compelling way and creates a rhythm to it that at times makes you forget you’re reading prose.
So People Know It’s Me is not the first novel that I’ve read set in Nisidia and its juvenile detention centre, Almarina by Valeria Parrella, which has also been translated to English, is similarly set there but follows the perspective of a maths teacher. Aside from both being very political novels, these two novels are extraordinarily different to one another. Yet, The Teach that is addressed in So People Know It’s Me could be a colleague of the maths teacher in Almarina and so the two novels still feel in conversation with one another. Personally, I preferred the compulsive read So People Know It’s Me and found it a more well-crafted and tighter, more unified in achieving its objectives, novel. That this is Benvenuto's debut makes this even more impressive, to me it was a near perfect novel!

I’m not sure how this would be for someone without Italian as a lot of the words from Napolitano are left untranslated, I don’t think many of these would be decipherable (their nuances at least) from context alone for a reader without Italian. These are also the terms which are italicised in contrast to some words left untranslated from Italian such as “Babbo Natale”, I found that decision quite problematic as it has the effect of othering the regional language. As an Italian translator myself, I suspect these were probably editorial decisions.
Also, I have no idea why So People Know It’s Me is marketed as being for fans of Ferrante. Not only is it extremely different in the perspective that it presents as well as in its voice and its tone, but such a comparison is not only reductive and misleading, it also serves to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of the South by treating all perspectives from it as a monolith. This novel is highly original and deserves to be treated as such!

I wish this book was longer!

We follow Zeno, an inmate as a young offender's in Naples, as he prepares for Christmas leave to visit his family. Zeno had a difficult childhood and had to grow up quickly with his abusive father and his mother, who worked as a sex-worker.

Zeno likes to think he is a gangster and has an image to maintain. But there are so many instances where he is soft, and you see the real him. Such as when he secretly gives his friend extra pizza because he feels sorry for him.

He also has aspirations to be a writer, despite his criminal history. He described stealing kisses from hjs girlfriend as the best things he ever stole (I'm not crying, you are!).

"But most of all, I wish I'd been born a child. But I wasn't ever that lucky - they made me be grown up, right from the start"

For fans of Shuggie Bain and Demon Copperhead

This book was so quick and snappy that i really struggled to put it down. Zeno was such a compelling character to follow and I loved how the family dynamic was created through his diary entries. The pacing was done really well and I liked how the story jumped from his current imprisonment to looking back as to why he got there and his life before he fell into crime. None of the characters felt shallow and i even got a sense of those who didn't speak and just existed by name alone. This was such a strong read and i'd read more by Francesca Benvenuto.

Raw and entirely unapologetic, So People Know It's Me is a fictional short story inspired by real accounts of young adolescents who spent time in the juvenile correctional centre in Nisida, Naples. Zeno narrates his experience in the detention centre through letters encouraged by his teacher; being brutally honest about the trauma for the other teenage boys, the drastic things he had to do outside to keep his mother and him alive, and his hopes for the future that grow in the lead up to a festive day release.

The narrative weaves from Zeno's unstructured story telling, almost blase when talking about violence, to the chaotic inner turmoil of someone who's still a child but sentenced to an adult's punishment. Francesca Benvenuto portrays him as the juvenile he truly is against the hardened criminal he was forced to become, peppering childlike imagination and hopes throughout distressing adult themes.

So People Know It's Me is an authentic look into an imprisoned teenager's life, calling into question whether we truly have choices in life to do the right thing or if survival overrides our moral compass no matter what.