The Crack

This deeply personal and philosophical work draws inspiration from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story The Crack-Up and expands into a rich tapestry of literary, poetic, and existential reflections. Casiraghi explores the idea of “brokenness” not as a flaw to be hidden, but as a fundamental part of being alive—something that opens us to beauty, vulnerability, and understanding.

Through references to a wide range of figures—from Ingeborg Bachmann, Colette, Marguerite Duras, and Anna Akhmatova, to Bernard Moitessier (the solitary sailor) and J.J. Cale (the singer-songwriter)—Casiraghi weaves a meditative journey that is neither memoir nor academic essay. Instead, it’s a series of lyrical and introspective variations on the theme of fragility, inner cracks, and the transformative power they hold.

She writes: “Something in us is broken; so much the better.”

This sentiment encapsulates the book’s core: embracing imperfection and fracture as the very site of life’s most meaningful experiences.

The Crack is not just a literary essay—it’s a sensitive exploration of how we endure, transform, and sometimes even flourish through what wounds us.