What do we know about our parents -- their true ideals， beliefs， and dreams?How can we be certain? Shortly after his father s death， Gianni Orzan reaches the disturbing conclusion that his father did not love him. Aloof and dismissive， Maurizio Orzan seldom had anything to say to his son. Moreover， he was a staunch fascist. Or so Gianni thought. Then comes the day he s contacted by a complete stranger who has a disquieting familiarity with his life. In what amounts to kidnapping， the stranger pursues an urgent mission: to convince Gianni that the father he knew was an illusion; that Maurizio was， in fact， a double agent for the KGB. What is Gianni to believe? If this stranger s revelations are true， they threaten to destroy Gianni s steadfast beliefs about his father s shameful， self-created identity and promise to send his life crashing down around him. Narrated with deft wit and subtle reflection， The Force of the Past -- winner of Italy s Viareggio-Repaci Prize and the Premio Campiello and a finalist for the Zerilli-Marimò prize -- is an insightful look at how one son tries to comprehend his father s mysterious complexities， as well as a provocative， ironic examination of how men construct their own subjective versions of reality.