Inside the Nightmare, Beyond the Darkness - Or how I learned to stay #933006

From the freezing silence of a Ukrainian orphanage to the warm chaos of Italy. From the abyss of abuse to the redemption of art. A true story that hits like a punch and heals like a caress.
Valerio Zezur was not born Valerio. He was born into a world where names are erased, where mothers fall asleep in bathtubs never to wake up, and where survival is the only law.
Inside the Nightmare, Beyond the Darkness is the visceral memoir of a child who learned too soon that love can be a trap. It chronicles the harrowing journey from a childhood in Ukraine—marked by poverty and the ghost of a broken family—to an adoption in Italy that promised a new beginning but brought new, unforeseen battles.
Caught between two identities, struggling with his sexuality in a world that demanded conformity, and ensnared in a toxic relationship that disguised abuse as protection, Valerio had every reason to break.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he found his voice in his hands. Through art, collecting the scraps and debris of the world to build masterpieces, Valerio reconstructed himself.
This is not just a memoir; it is a manifesto of resilience. It is for anyone who has ever felt invisible, for anyone who has been forced to wear a mask to survive, and for anyone looking for the courage to finally stay.
"A gentle scream, a raw gesture, an embrace filled with thorns. A story that doesn't ask for pity, but demands to be heard."