So People Know It's Me

A fierce, unforgettable novel set in the juvenile prison island of Nisida - for readers of Elena Ferrante and The End of Eddy.

Zeno is fifteen years old, a minor by law, but he grew up long ago in the dusty heat of Naples. Winding down cobbled streets on his motorbike, he delivers baggies and picks pockets, doing whatever it takes to put food on the table and steal a few precious moments of freedom with his girlfriend, Natalina, in the city's starlit piazzas.

That's until a rival gang member pulls up beside him with a gun, and Zeno ends up on the brutal prison island of Nisida. Separated from all he loves by the cruel, glittering sea, with a cell window looking out at distant beaches, Zeno promises to write down the story of his life in exchange for a visit home. But the sea has eyes everywhere, and someone on the outside wants revenge.

Boldly original and deeply humane, So People Know It's Me unleashes Zeno's luminous, unguarded and defiant voice - dreaming of a fragile future beyond Nisida's walls.

'Highly original and surprising' La Gazzetta di San Severo

'A dark tale set in the juvenile prison of Nisida' Il Napolista

'Illuminates and unfolds new spaces for an existence too often ignored' Il Manifesto

'The inimitable soul of Naples is at the very heart of this astonishing book' Corse Matin



Francesca Maria Benvenuto was born in Naples in 1986. She graduated with a Law degree in 2009 and completed a PhD in International Criminal Law in 2012. That same year she moved to Paris to study for a Master's Degree in Criminal Law at the Sorbonne. She then started her own law firm in Paris, where she currently works as a criminal lawyer. She is also studying for a Modern Languages degree at the University of Turin. Her debut novel, So People Know It's Me, was published in Italy by Mondadori in 2024.