Book Review: “The Sicilian Inheritance” by Jo Piazza

Published on July 21st, 2024

“Sicilians keep some of the best records in the world” – Jo Piazaa (The Sicilian Inheritance)

Jo Piazza’s “The Sicilian Inheritance” brings to life two fascinating characters who share the same name—Serafina. One, affectionately nicknamed Fena, lives in a Sicilian village circa 1908, while the other, known as Sara, resides in Philadelphia in 2016. Despite being generations and worlds apart, these women are bound by blood – by birth and family murder that occurred almost a century ago.

Sara’s life is a whirlwind of chaos, winding down a failed restaurant business while grappling with a divorce. She is given a ticket to Italy by her favorite Aunt Rosie as a dying gift and wish. In contrast, Fina, a “healer” of her time, is steadfast and resilient, creating the life she wants despite the constraints placed upon her. The family lore claims she couldn’t join the migration to the US. The story alternates between the narratives of the two characters, keeping readers hooked with its contrasting depictions of their lives. Sara’s trip to Italy is an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole kind of story where she was, according to her, “lead in a play that you did not have the script for”. Fina’s life, on the other hand, is marked by perseverance and a quiet strength, making her a pillar of change in her community.

“The Sicilian Inheritance” delves into various themes—immigration struggles, the cultural journey of Sicily, self-reinvention, mystery, and the importance of patience, sacrifice, self-love, friendship, and family. Piazza does a great job of characterization and story, reflecting these motifs which come up throughout the book.

The two main characters in the book are crafted very skillfully. Sara is realistically annoying, full of self-pity and poor decision-making, which makes her a challenging character to follow. She blames others with full authority for the current sorry state of her life and habitually complains about them. The Audible narrator’s sarcastic tone perfectly captures her irritating nature. It was difficult to connect with her initially and on surface which I believe that is what the intent of the story was – we don’t always get to be around happy and thankful people. Accepting people as they are, even as a character in a book is a great skill to have! It highly speaks of Piazza’s adeptness in characterization.

A review for Jo Piazza's The Sicilian Inheritence — ^{Image- Audible}

In Fina of the early 1900s, we find an expertly sculpted, completely different profile, an opposite of Sara. Where Sara is source of creating havoc in others’ lives, Fina’s presence was that of comfort to most around her. She is a beacon of patience and resilience, embracing change and growth with a steadfast heart. Her missteps, which make her deeply human, are met with self-forgiveness. She faces these mistakes in the way her heart and mind believed, not how society would approve of. Fina’s friend, Cettina is another favorite character and adds additional layer of depth to the completeness to the story.

Beyond the main characters, the supporting cast, including the vibrant Aunt Rosie, the colorful Giusy, a handsome chef, an old artist, and a quirky professor, enrich the plot with their unique contributions.

The novel has so many great moments and concepts. One of the book’s strengths is the camaraderie among women, the value of sisterhood and judgment-free friendships, highlighting the importance of understanding and creating such bonds. The book brings home the importance of this aspiration in growth of any culture. Another strong point the book made is the ability to extend grace and forgiveness to oneself; doing one’s duty, sacrificing what one holds dear but then also loving to live for oneself, which always comes with difficult decisions, are considered selfish in most eyes and takes a lifetime to achieve. The hint of “healthy narcissism” in the book is a welcome concept. Most people hesitate to find this love for oneself. Sara’s difficult and often irritating character subtly conveys a powerful message about accepting all kinds of people in our lives. We naturally gravitate towards agreeable individuals and often wish to change those who are not. However, embracing others in their entirety, flaws and all, is a difficult yet crucial act. Giving them a chance is just as important, although not easy.

While the valor and potential of women in any era (especially in the post World War II Sicily) is presented in a very beautiful manner, the concept of feminism is over-generalized in the book to the point that it almost seems imposed and sometimes disfigured. This is my only disagreement with the book. Feminism does not mean hating men or household chores, nor is this idea characterized by rejecting motherhood or domestic responsibilities, which Piazza refers to on many occasions as “domestic labor”. Feminism gives women the idea, freedom and introduces them to a possibility that if they chose to do or say something that is not in the “box” they are inherently put in by society (which is comprised of men and women), they should be able to do so without any judgement based on their gender – they should have faith in themselves and should have every right to expect faith from the society. A strong woman can grow with supporting men, while supporting men. Women do not need to create a world without men to make a difference.

Want to read The Sicilian Inheritance? Read the review here.

In conclusion, the story had all the elements a good book should have. It unfolds with fair amount of an interest till about first quarter of the book but gets much more engaging as it progresses, building suspense as twists, turns and characters get added to the plot. The length of the book was perfect; it started and ended exactly where it should, with appropriate background for each character needed to complete the story and the mystery. The glimpse of Sicilian history, past and present culture, the political atmosphere were sprinkled in just the right amount without overwhelming the reader. The plot remained focused and the ending wins the book revealing different dimensions of the characters. I listened to the last two chapters couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed the way it brought the answers, some of them totally unexpected but very desirable. The choice of the narrators in Audible were wisely done to bring characters to life. All in all, investment of my time in the book was well-rewarded, making my rating for the book 4/5. Would I read it again? Absolutely – if time permits. Would I recommend it? Definitely, especially to those who enjoy stories about progressive and resilient people.

I read this book for a book club by Dr. Ahmad from Living A Life Through Books and can’t wait to discuss it this coming Thursday. She does a podcast on each book discussion. Once the podcast is up, I will upload it in the post.

What are you upto in your reading world? Would love to connect on my #bookstatram @booksection