Like Magic - R.G. Pagano

An unforgettable journey through space, time, and the Italian countryside.

When Gian loses his job, the scaffolding holding his life together finally gives way-and with it, the carefully buried grief over losing his older brother, Luca. Memories surface in unexpected ways, and the unlikely trigger of a congressional hearing on UFOs jolts him back to childhood afternoons spent chasing the unexplained. On impulse, Gian reaches out to a childhood friend, Marco, who invites him to Italy-and into a world where Luca's unfinished questions may still be alive. What begins as a tentative escape becomes a journey chasing mysterious phenomena across five distinct regions-Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Sardinia, and Campania-each landscape opening levels of Gian's memory and pulling him towards understanding.

But Gian soon uncovers traces of a discovery Luca may have left behind-one powerful enough to draw the attention of shadowy government forces-and he's pulled deeper into danger while reshaping his grief into something searching, luminous, and alive. He forms a tender and unexpected connection with fellow traveler Mei, and their growing intimacy offers him a different kind of refuge.

Threaded through the narrative are Gian's journals-poems, meditations, reflections, and dreamlike fragments that open portals between the living and the dead. Grief becomes not a single emotion, but a multidimensional experience that forms a fragile bridge between what is gone and what still remains. As his journey unfolds, Gian realizes he may never be entirely certain of anything, but he might be able to move forward without leaving love behind.