In Simone Alliva’s ‘Vertigine’ library, an investigation into chemsex and wounded masculinity

In a time dominated by the construction of appearances, Simone Alliva reveals what remains hidden. Perfect bodies that give way, accessible and lethal substances, parties that last for days, addiction as anesthesia for loneliness, internalized homophobia disguised as hedonistic freedom. ‘Vertigo’ (Fandango Libri), in bookstores from April 17, moves between memoir and investigation, giving voice to a phenomenon widespread in Europe but still marginal in the Italian debate. It doesn’t just tell the facts, but investigates the root causes, the emotional implications, the contradictions. The result is the portrait of a generation suspended between desire and darkness, between dating apps, idealized bodies and endless nights. In the stories of those who disappear, in the parties where drugs and sex are confused, in the gestures of those looking for love while self-destructing, the author also recognizes his own wound, transforming the investigation into an act of exposure and truth.

Simone Alliva is a professional journalist. For ten years at the weekly L’Espresso, today he writes for the newspaper Domani. For Fandango Libri he wrote Caccia all’Omo. Journey to the country of Homotransphobia (2025) and Names Out! (2021) with which he won the Fuori! chaired by Angelo Pezzana, founder of the first Italian homosexual movement.