You don’t have to be an Italian-American to appreciate and enjoy Adriana Trigiani’s novels, but it helps. Sprinkled throughout her latest, The View from Lake Como, are words that would not be found in an Italian dictionary, but are familiar to those of us who grew up with grandparents speaking a dialect. For instance, “mopeen” refers to a dishcloth, “skeeve,” denotes something disgusting, “scungilli,” is a conch dish, but also someone who is small and unattractive, “stunod,” describes someone foolish or crazy. Additionally, “Amerigan” is used to describe anyone who is an American, but not, of course, an Italian-American.
Trigiani’s talent for exploring the Italian-American experience goes beyond the language spoken by her characters. Families, regardless of their ethnic background, are complicated. The love that binds generations together can also be a hindrance, trapping individuals in traditional lives that may not lead to genuine happiness.
Adriana Trigiani (Photo Credit: Tim Stephenson)
Giuseppina Capodimonte Baratta – Jess – grew up in Lake Como, New Jersey. When family finances made it impossible for her to attend Rutgers, Jess lived at home and finished her degree at Montclair State. While in college, she worked part-time at Capodimonte Marble and Stone run by her Uncle Louie and now works full-time as the company’s draftswoman. After ending her marriage to high school sweetheart Bobby Bilancia, she moved back home, into the basement of her parents’ home.
For Uncle Louie and his wife, Aunt Lil, Jess became the child they never had. When Louie dies unexpectedly, Jess inherits Cap Marble, along with its serious legal problems. Turns out, Louie had set up a second company, the Elegant Gangster, and had been funneling money to the Cayman Islands. For Jess, dealing with the FBI is easier than dealing with her family. She discovers that her mother and father used her college fund, money she earned working during summers, to pay for her brother Joe’s law school. Having a “professional” in the family meant more to her mother than helping Jess follow her dreams.
Going through Louie’s papers, Jess finds two plane tickets to Italy. Louie spent time in Carrara, Tuscany, when he was a young man, working to mine the marble. He had often talked about returning there with Jess. Still grieving her uncle and sad to leave Aunt Lil, Jess nonetheless knows that she needs a new start. She contacts Conor Kerrigan, Cap Marble’s contact in Tuscany, who finds her an apartment. Initially the landlady, Signora Strazza, comes across as the Italian equivalent of Jess’s mother. But the elderly woman smiles when Jess gives her a bag of chestnuts she collected with Conor.
Settling into her new apartment, Jess soaks up the view from her balcony, a stark difference from the cement walls she stared at in the basement. Jess begins to journal and in these sections we learn about her childhood and her short-lived marriage. While she still has feelings for Bobby (his looks made him the biggest catch in Jersey), she went from being controlled by her parents to being suffocated in her marriage. Now in Italy, she makes another statement for her independence, adopting a small gray kitten she names Smokey. While her mother banned pets in her house and Bobby is allergic, Jess loves cuddling up with a soft, warm ball of fluff.
Signora Strazza doesn’t allow pets either, but she permits Smokey to stay. Not only does she like spending time with Jess, but she sees that her son, Angelo, an artist who works with gold, is smitten with the American. Jess isn’t ready for a serious relationship (Bobby is still hoping she will come back to him), but enjoys the time she spends with Angelo. What Jess truly loves, however, is Italy, the people, the culture, the history, the sunsets and sunrises. Sitting outside enjoying a coffee and a cornetto, a pastry, is heaven. But it’s what – and who – she discovers about Louie’s past that truly connects her to her family’s ancestral home. When she has to return to New Jersey for another family funeral, she has a decision to make. Which Lake Como will she choose?
Trigiani’s The View from Lake Como is warm, funny, inspiring, and empowering. Following a dream is never an easy path and often means hurting those who love us the most. Forgiving isn’t easy, either, but holding onto anger makes it tough to move on.
The novel is also a love letter to Italy. If you’ve never been or haven’t been recently, time to book that trip.
The View from Lake Como
Adriani Trigiani
Top Bigstock photo: Marble quarry (Ponti di Vara) near Carrara, Tuscany, Italy
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