"An absorbing family saga taking place over four decades and centered on the Tuscan island of Giglio--a seemingly idyllic place where the story of two sisters and the history of Italy meet in unexpected, transformative ways."--

"Christmas has just passed and the city is preparing to celebrate New Year when, on the stage of a variety show, famous actor Michelangelo Gelmi fires a gun at his wife, Fedora Marra. The shooting itself would be nothing strange: it is repeated every evening as part of their performance. But this time, someone replaced one of the blanks with a real bullet. Gelmi swears his innocence, but few believe him. Approaching old age and with a career in decline,...

"Irina's life with her husband and her twin daughters seems perfect until, one day,something breaks. The marriage ends on a weekend like any other; Irina's husband takes their girls, Alessia and Livia, away with him. They disappear. A few days later the man takes his own life. Of the girls, there is no trace. Concita De Gregorio takes the unadorned, terrible facts of this true story and embodies the protagonist's voice. In a narrative that is fast...