Author Milan Cortina explores betrayal, hidden parentage, chosen family, and the difficult courage required to rebuild after the truth emerges.
The Shape of Leaving, by Milan Cortina, is an
emotionally layered family drama in which one late-night notification destroys
the certainty of twelve shared years. Yet discovering an affair is not the end
of Luciana’s story. It is the first crack in a family that will be broken,
rebuilt, and tested again across two decades.
Luciana and Mateo’s marriage appears dependable, held
together by familiar routines and ordinary Tuesdays. Beneath that stability,
however, distance has settled between them. When Luciana discovers that Mateo
has maintained a fourteen-month relationship with another woman, she is forced
to confront his deception—and the parts of herself she surrendered while trying
to preserve their life together.
Separation gives Luciana the opportunity to reclaim her
independence and brings her closer to Dante, a craftsman who restores damaged
buildings without concealing their history. Their connection opens the
possibility of another life, until an unexpected pregnancy forces Luciana to
decide what kind of future she wants to build.
She returns to Mateo and begins the difficult process of
repairing their marriage while carrying a truth she cannot bring herself to
reveal.
Nineteen years later, that silence can no longer hold.
Their daughter, Sophia, discovers that Dante—not Mateo—is
her biological father. The revelation forces the family to reconsider
everything they believed about betrayal, forgiveness, identity, and parenthood.
As Sophia develops a relationship with the man whose blood she carries, Mateo
must confront the possibility that the daughter he raised may no longer see him
as her father. Luciana, meanwhile, must face the consequences of a secret she
once believed would protect everyone.
In The Shape of Leaving, Milan Cortina refuses to
reduce her characters to simple heroes or villains. Mateo’s affair and
Luciana’s long concealment represent different forms of betrayal, yet both
emerge from the same dangerous belief: that an uncomfortable truth may be more
destructive than a comfortable lie.
Through kitchens, workshops, cracked foundations, and
restored wood, Cortina transforms rebuilding into a powerful metaphor for
love—one that can survive only when its damage is finally acknowledged.
At its heart, The Shape of Leaving asks a deeply
human question: What makes a family real?
Is it blood? Honesty? Shared history? Or is it the person
who continues showing up through every ordinary day?
The novel offers no simple or sentimental answer. Instead,
it explores the complicated space between leaving and staying, between
forgiveness and accountability, and between the family we inherit and the
family we choose.
Leaving requires the courage to acknowledge that something
is broken. Staying requires the sustained courage to rebuild it truthfully.
For readers drawn to complex marriages, hidden parentage,
chosen family, and emotionally honest storytelling, The Shape of Leaving
offers a poignant exploration of the secrets families keep, the consequences
those secrets create, and the possibility of finding a more truthful future.
Milan Cortina’s novel ultimately suggests that forgiveness
does not erase the past. Rather, it creates the possibility of understanding
it—and moving forward with greater honesty, compassion, and courage.
About the Author
Milan Cortina writes emotionally resonant fiction
that explores the fragile spaces where love, identity, and personal
transformation intersect. Through richly layered characters and deeply human
relationships, Cortina examines the quiet moments that shape a life as powerfully
as the dramatic ones.
In The Shape of Leaving, Cortina explores heartbreak,
betrayal, self-discovery, healing, and the courage required to face difficult
truths. Through compassion, honesty, and emotional depth, Milan Cortina invites
readers into a story that lingers long after the final page.
Connect with Milan Cortina
Official Website:
milancortinabooks.com
Facebook:
Milan
Cortina on Facebook
Milan Cortina on Instagram