A village afraid of vanishing takes measures to make sure it doesn’t: the hedge so popular with tourists is tended to and taken care of, and a regular check is kept on the village finances. Above all the children, Pina and Lobo, the village’s future, are taken care of. However, it’s a long time since Pina and Lobo grew. Whilst the village waits for a growth spurt, Pina’s mother sits in the Artic and watches the ice melt and borders shift.

Once again, Gianna Monlinari presents a striking portrait of the way nature and culture interweave, a novel that challenges our ideas about growth and stagnation.