Kirkus
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In this multigenerational novel inspired by Piazza’s own family, two women tell a story that begins in Sicily a hundred years ago and leads to a return in the present day. The first narrative belongs to Sara Masala, a Philadelphia chef whose husband has just filed for divorce and full custody of their daughter; on top of that, her once-thriving restaurant has gone bankrupt and her great-aunt Rosie has died. It had always been Rosie’s dream to visit her birthplace in Sicily and take Sara with her, but now Sara will be making the trip solo—Rosie booked and paid for a nonrefundable ticket and hotel room for her. Although it seems impossible for Sara to leave right now, Rosie threw in one more twist—leaving Sara a deed to a plot of land that belonged to Rosie’s mother, Serafina. If Sara sells it, she can use the money to save her restaurant and, hopefully, her family. Sara makes the journey to the ancient mountain town of Caltabellessa and is taken under the wing of Giusy, the innkeeper and town gossip. As a child, Sara was always told that Serafina had died from the flu before she could make it to America. Giusy rips that idea apart when she drops the bomb that Serafina was actually murdered. As Sara digs into century-old secrets, her presence becomes a growing threat to the town’s carefully protected way of life. Interspersed with Sara’s journey is a secondary narrative belonging to Serafina, who provides context with Caltabellessa’s history and the challenges faced by women in early-20th-century Sicily. Serafina’s story is the beating heart of this novel, an honest look into the sacrifices of a young mother: “I barely had time to remember all the things I once wanted, all the lives I hoped to lead, but sometimes the desire all flooded back and I felt a small death.” This novel almost feels like two books in one, but the stories are inextricably bound, most effectively through the way Piazza writes about the universal experience of what it means to be a woman and a mother. Fans of historical fiction, women’s fiction, and mystery novels will be equally dazzled. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.