The Crossroads by Niccolò Ammaniti

Cristiano is thirteen. Home life is far from perfect, and when his drink-sozzled father and two reprobate friends come up with a plan to rob a bank, Cristiano sees the chance of a better life. But as a tremendous storm brews that night, the perfect crime will have shocking consequences for all involved. And Cristiano must put childhood behind him once and for all. The utterly absorbing novel has pace, plot twists and glorious characters.

An epic drama of innocence and delusion, The Crossroads is Ammaniti's most engaging novel yet.