Stessi/Ħassartek

Stessi/Ħassartek

 

Stessi and Ħassartek are two books that were gifted to me by the author Matthew Schembri. They are both in Maltese with a very different genre and content. Here you can find summary of the books. They are both spoiler free.

Stessi is about an adolescent named Sven and a very weird object. Rob, Sven’s cool uncle, traveller and an adrenaline junkie, gave him his precious purple camera as a birthday present. This camera was special not only because it was a reminder that Rob was a very special person in his life but this camera was magical as well. She takes selfies only and exclusively when she needs to. Throughout the story, Sven discovered that he is actually possessed from the camera and thus, his life is in complete submission to what the camera what's and needs. Even his mood is changed and this camera became an obsession. The story revolves around the changes that Sven had to submit to in order to accommodate the needs of this purple camera and the consequences that occurred from this unhealthy obsession. I highly recommend THIS book to all teenagers and all fantasy lovers. I read this book in two days and I couldn’t let go.

On the other hand, Ħassartek (the second book) is ‘Stessi’, (the first book) but partially erased. Yes, you read it right. The first book partially erased. That’s why there is a similarity in the cover. Ħassartek includes 231 poems partially erased from the story of Sven and his precious camera. The poems are not related to the story of Stessi. Fascinating right? I have to admit it that I need to re-read this book once again because poems needs time to be absorbed and understood. However, I am fascinated how the author came with the idea to partially erase his book and form this beautiful work.