One Last Journey Again
by Flavio Uccello
Review by Maria Teresa De Donato
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After reading and reviewing his first novel, The
Roar of the Phoenix (Il Rombo della Fenice – Uccello, 2022 –
Amazon), having realized Flavio Uccello's technical knowledge as well as his
enthusiasm and passion for the world of motorbikes and racing, I had prepared
myself psychologically and mentally in 'pole position,' enjoying yet another
great adventure while reading One Last Journey (Un ultimo viaggio
ancora) and, more precisely this time, a sporting event that has gone down in
history: the 1985 Paris-Dakar.
The protagonist of
the novel, or rather, of its first part, is Antonio Servillo, known as Tony, a
young man soon appointed Lieutenant Commander of the Italian Navy. Married to
his beautiful Giovanna, with blue eyes and blond hair, with whom he will later
have little Stefania, and despite already having the path paved for a brilliant
career since he was a boy, Tony has had a secret dream: to participate in the
Paris—Dakar.
Thanks to the help of one of his superiors who
respects him and is sincerely fond of him as if he were a father, Admiral
Cornelli, Tony obtains not only the approval of the Navy itself to participate
in the sporting event of his life but also to find sponsors. With his brand new
Yamaha XT600Z, known as Tènèrè, this young Corvette Captain is preparing to leave
"for the seventh edition of the toughest race in history" (p. 8) with
the spirit and enthusiasm of someone who thinks that this will be the most
incredible adventure of his life.
After the missions in Lebanon, Tony took a leave of
absence immediately after marrying his beloved Giovanna and spending "sleepless
nights fantasizing about the deserts of Africa, on the motorbike he [would] ride,
on the seas of cheering crowds around [him] at the finish line..." (p. 9)
The general test was completed and the numerous
modifications made to the Yamaha by the mechanics to adapt it to the various
types of terrain it would have to face, "from French mud to African
sand" (p. 12), and with the logo on the bike "made up of a ship that
sails through the stormy sea, ... symbol shown in several places on the suit...
and on the motorbike's tank" (p. 11) Tony, from the Cornelli Racing team,
finally sets off on his adventure. For the occasion, he is surrounded by "racing
cars, trucks, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, sidecars and much more... divided
between private teams, like his, and the official teams, equipped with
cutting-edge vehicles and incredibly experienced drivers ." (p. 13)
Despite having participated in military operations
that had taken him "to the coasts and inland of Lebanon... aimed at
defending Palestinian refugees and the Lebanese population from the armed
clashes of the civil war" and having witnessed with his own eyes the
meaning of the words' hunger' and 'despair' (p. 15) Tony now wants to get to
know Africa "and live it far from the conflicts and injustices of war.
Putting oneself at stake against the elements and finding the ultimate meaning
of existence..." (p. 15)
This experience transforms him profoundly, also
changing the view he had had up to that moment of the children - which, among
other things, he wants to have with his Giovanna - who from "annoying and
noisy" become, thanks to the encounter with the African ones, "with
sweet smiles and cheerful voices." (p. 16)
The journey presents countless challenges, but one of
the fundamental lessons you will learn is that in times of need, you must be
ready to help the other without reservation - just as he will do with John -
and that the exact help you will give when you need it, will be offered to you
by someone, the good Samaritan or angel on duty, who will appear on your path,
as in his case will be the meetings with the brothers Francesco and Lara and,
subsequently, with the Spanish cowboy Miguelito who will host him at his ranch.
Along the way, Tony comes across all sorts of scenic
and artistic beauty, including the botanical garden of El Hamma in Algeria, as
well as "a riot of flowers, palms, and terraces... verdant hills, full of
crops" ( p. 16) but also to the "black stones burned by the sun"
and the "infinite and immaterial dunes of the Saharan desert." (p. 17)
If Tony thought that the accidents and the challenges
faced in the desert between optical illusions caused by the play of light and
shadow created by the dunes, the wheelies and the leaps into the void with the
motorbike, when depressions are mistaken for slopes, and the encounters not
always peaceful with the Tuareg of the desert were among the worst things that
could happen to him in life, the latter, for its part, will prove him wrong.
So, while he will
be wholly catapulted with great skill by the Author into the challenges linked
to this historic sporting event, namely the Paris-Dakar of 1985, to the
technical difficulties only that the young man will encounter in his
extraordinary adventure, emerging from this sort of hypnotic state, the reader
will suddenly realize that the protagonist has changed and is no longer
necessarily Tony, who continues to play a primary role in the narrative, but Life
itself. All the adventures, the misadventures, the 'curves,' the 'treacherous
paths,' the swerves to the right, to the left, the surges, and the relapses are
nothing more than symbols, that is, the very metaphors of Life, the real one,
with all the successes, failures, trials and the not always pleasant
'surprises' that it presents on your path, with its total and undisputed
unpredictability.
The novel becomes the novel of choices, those we make with joy and in
harmony with our desires, passions, and 'calling' and those we feel forced to
make because certain situations—perhaps precisely family ones—impose them on us.
Will what we make be the right choice, or will it turn out to be the wrong one?
Is our Destiny already sealed in one direction or another? We will never know,
or perhaps we will only find out at the end of our existence.
The book, written in a language as simple as it is
captivating, will enthrall the reader, keeping him riveted and in suspense from
the first to the last page. In this second publication, we also notice Flavio's
growth and increased maturity as a Writer. Although, as in the case of his
previous publication, the interest and passion for sport, and in particular for
motorbikes and racing, remain common denominators, One Last Journey Again also
and above all becomes the novel of Ethics and Morality, human even before
professional; of Conscience that looks at itself in the mirror, repents and
feels the need to redeem itself, to do justice despite the evil that has been
done and the punishments that have been unjustly inflicted because of us. The
novel of the Good is inherent in Man and, although sometimes suffocated for the
most diverse reasons, still resurfaces in many at the most unexpected moment
when everything seems lost, and the possibility of repentance is remote.
It is precisely at that moment when we realize the
trick that Life has played on us and the optical illusion that we have
experienced that the sense of discouragement and sadness that awareness imposes
on us becomes an unbearable boulder to bear. It is a boulder that we absolutely
need to free ourselves from and remove by sharing it - within the limits and in
the ways possible to us - with a sudden and equally unexpected interlocutor who
could, why not, even be an innocent child.
Therefore, there is always time to repent, reverse
course and do good, help someone, help improve their Life, ask for forgiveness,
and, in a certain sense, redeem ourselves from the evil we have inflicted.
One Last Journey Again is, therefore, a novel written from the heart by a
young author who, in addition to his undisputed narrative skills, shows that he
has excellent moral ethics and a strong interest in sports, psychological, and
social aspects. Flavio highlights the
latter in his stories through the creation of particular characters whose
conduct stresses the importance of correctness in relationships, of human
solidarity, the unpredictable circumstances in which one can find oneself when
one encounters situations much tougher than expected, that was not searching
for but who manifested themselves overwhelming us even though up until that
moment we had not only avoided but even fought them.
One Last Journey Again is a beautiful publication that will fascinate the
reader, leading him to inner analysis and deep reflection on essential and even
burning issues.
