AQUA: A Story of Water and Lost Dreams

Synopsis

Inspired by an old engineering manual for the Los Angeles Aqueduct, Chiara Barzini embarks on a journey that is part road trip, part memoir, and part meditation on the landscapes that shape our lives. Following the path of the aqueduct from the Owens Valley across the California desert to Los Angeles, she traces the hidden history of the water that made a city possible while reflecting on filmmaking, memory, environmental change, and the dreams that continue to define the American West.

As the miles unfold, AQUA moves effortlessly between personal history and cultural criticism, weaving together encounters with forgotten places, Hollywood mythology, and the fragile ecosystems that sustain life in an increasingly uncertain climate. Lyrical, inquisitive, and beautifully observed, it is a remarkable exploration of water as both a physical force and a symbol of longing, transformation, and survival.

About the Author

Chiara Barzini is an award-winning Italian novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. She is the author of Things That Happened Before the Earthquake and the short story collection Sister Stop Breathing. Writing in both Italian and English, Barzini's work explores place, identity, cinema, and contemporary culture with wit, intelligence, and striking originality.

Publisher

The Unnamed Press

Publication Date

April 14, 2026

Format

Hardcover

Pages

250

Subjects

Memoir · Travel Writing · Environmental Writing · Cultural History · Nature Writing · California

ISBN

9781961884908