Book Review: The Sicilian Inheritance

Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.

Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina—a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger.

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza will be published April 2, 2024. Penguin Random House provided an early galley for review.

My family roots on both sides trace back to Sicily, so I was certainly drawn to a book with this title. Plus, the cover is simply gorgeous and inviting.

The story is broken down into two narratives - the modern day with Sara and the past with Serafina. There are rich details throughout, in both geographic descriptions and historical accuracy. With these, Piazza definitely did her research (as her author notes confirms). There are also some very intriguing secondary characters.

There were, however, a couple things that did impact my reading experience. First, the two names of the main characters are very similar which could lead a reader to confusion. In fact, there is even a third character with a similar name introduced. Second, both the stories of Sara and Serafina are told in first-person past tense, alternating chapters. This kind of narrative approach that is not a favorite of mine as it can lead to more confusion (especially when both characters are of the same gender, are in similar settings and are similarly named). Also, with alternating narratives, I find the momentum of the story, for me, gets derailed every time we jump back to the other time period. Together, these are several strikes against the book for me.

I definitely think this book can appeal to the right audience. I just wasn't the right audience.