Alastair Macleod 
Pomona 
English Edition

‘He knew these symptoms. These were the physical manifestations of a suppressed desire. In Guiliana’s case it was clear the desire to have children was surfacing in her dreams. Italo had described how Guiliana not only dreamed of the Virgin and Child, but she dreamt hordes of children were possessing her, pleading with her, wanting to be free, to be born. The sweating and writhing Italo described was not unlike the agonies of childbirth.What should Enrico do? He knew this pressure to have children was pervasive in Italy – his own mother never let up about bambini. Italo was getting it from his own mother and now indirectly from Guiliana. How could he, Enrico, interfere? It was something all of his age group was experiencing. Doctors had told him of childless women coming with spurious illness, restlessness, saying they needed change. Few pinpointed their needed to procreate – it wasn’t politically correct.’