The voice sings off the page and works really well. This takes the form of letters from a boy in juvenile prison to his teacher as Christmas approaches. Very short but packs a punch.

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.

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.