The sisters born twice in Manlio Castagna’s horror fantasy

Manlio Castagna tries (and succeeds) to cross the border of fantasy literature for children and launches himself into the jagged panorama of noir-horror with the river “The Reincarnation of the Klun Sisters” (Mondadori), enthralling and esoteric as the genre requires. Castagna is an enthusiast and his pages reveal the enthusiasm and involvement he puts into outlining the complicated narrative architecture; involvement that ends up being transferred to the reader, nailing him to the book. The author from Salerno, born in 1974, spent a long time organizing the Giffoni children’s film festival: for a decade he was its deputy artistic director. In addition, he has signed a successful series of thrillers for children, and is a writer and director. With this novel he takes a further step, which he seems to care a lot about. The story takes place on different temporal planes, to then regroup in an epic and gothic ending at the same time. It all starts with the childhood of two little sisters, in the 1950s, on the border between Italy and Slovenia. A tragic fate is reserved for the two little Klun, which however does not put an end to their existence. At least so it seems. Are the twins born after their death the reincarnation? The question remains suspended for several chapters and grips the parents themselves, poised between despair and hope. But this is only the main narrative line, which is enriched by well-defined and suspenseful characters, from the bewitching and gloomy writer to the disturbing hooded, almost invisible figure who appears, however, in the crucial moments of the story. Castagna not only cares about the plot, but also takes care of the language which is sharp, fast and effective, with some quirks, such as the repetition of a single lemma at the end and at the beginning of each chapter, almost a sign of continuity that keeps the elements of the discourse together. In short, for thrill-seekers, with more than a few hints of the supernatural, an immersive reading that has nothing to envy from overseas colleagues, best-selling masters. A star is born in the horror universe.