First published 1970
Jenny arrives in Naples carrying secrets from England that nearly destroyed her. The ruined Italian city offers refuge, but solitude proves temporary when she decides to deliver a letter of introduction from back home. This simple act connects her to Giocanda, a talented writer of striking beauty, and Gianni, the celebrated Roman film director who shares Giocanda's bed. At her workplace, Jenny encounters Justin, a Scottish man whose enigmatic nature draws her in despite herself. As these three lives pull her deeper into their orbits, Jenny believes she can remake herself in this ancient city. She discovers that reinvention demands more than geography. The patterns that shaped her in England follow her to Italy, and the past refuses to stay buried. Her new relationships force Jenny to confront whether she can truly escape what she was or if she must finally face the history she fled.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reinvention
Setting: England, Italy, Naples, Rome
Period: 20th-century, World War II
191 pages · Hardcover · Macmillan