Gerry Hadden Knihy

Milo Prieto's odd life begins with an equally odd twist: being adopted at birth by asylum-seeking Cuban musicians and growing up in an experimental housing project in the North Bronx. He's white, his parents black, but he fits in even as he sticks out. He even shows early promise on the drums of his father. But an accident spells the end of everything. By 17 he finds himself abandoned and incarcerated. He wants nothing more than to die. To disappear. To become as invisible as he feels. And then out of nowhere he gets a second chance. Sprung from "juvi" via a program for promising teens who've slipped off the rails, Milo heads from New York City to Maine and beyond on a journey with more missteps than he could have imagined. Desperate to grow up, but unsure how, his plan is to escape into the unknown. But no matter how far he runs his past seems to be one step ahead and waiting - waiting, quite possibly, with the answers he needs to move on. Everything Turns Invisible is a story about identity, separation, the power of music, of loss, and of finding second chances in the most unexpected places.

The narrative explores the life of a former NPR correspondent who transitions from aspiring Buddhist monk to a journalist covering Latin America during a pivotal time. Arriving in Mexico amidst political change, he captures the complexities of hope and turmoil post-9/11, delving into Colombia's drug wars, Guatemala's emigration issues, and Haiti's rebellion. Amidst these challenges, he seeks to establish his life in Mexico City while confronting personal ghosts and pursuing love, highlighting the intersection of personal and international struggles.

Milano wächst in der Bronx der Siebziger auf. Als Adoptivsohn afro-kubanischer Eltern ist er der einzige spanischsprechende, bongospielende, fünfjährige Weiße weit und breit. Er ist anders als die Nachbarskinder, aber er ist glücklich. Bis zum Tag des Autounfalls. Er erwacht im Krankenhaus und sein linker Arm ist unsichtbar geworden. Was Phantomschmerzen sind, begreift er erst nach und nach: als seine Mutter stirbt. Als sein Vater ihn wie Luft behandelt. Als er alles verliert, was ihm je wichtig war. Lakonisch und so unsentimental, dass es einem die Tränen in die Augen treibt, erzählt Hadden in seinem Debütroman die Geschichte eines Abstiegs, der im Jugendgefängnis endet. Doch Milano erhält eine zweite Chance und macht sich auf die Suche – nach den unsichtbaren Dingen, nach seinen Wurzeln, und nach seinem Platz in dieser seltsamen Welt.