Edith’s War
This novel tells the story of England’s internment of Italian civilians during WWII and weaves a love story into the plot. In 1940, Edith Maguire is pregnant and living with her mother-in-law and teenage brother-in-law while her husband is away fighting in the war. Their neighbors, Carlo Baccanello and his wife, live with his parents and brothers. When Carlo first meets Edith, the two are attracted to each other, and this later develops into an affair. The Baccanello family are Italians who have lived in England for many years, their children British born and raised. The newspapers begin spewing hatred toward anyone of Italian descent living in the country, labeling all of them as Black Fascists. When Mussolini declares war on England, the order goes out that all men of Italian descent are to be arrested. The Baccanello men, along with Carlo, are taken away and imprisoned.
Each chapter alternates between the stories of Edith and Carlo in the 1940s and Edith’s two sons in 2002. In the contemporary storyline, Edith has summoned her two adult sons to meet her in Venice. While they wait for her to arrive, they try to figure out the purpose of the meeting while reminiscing about their childhood in England.
This is an interesting, little-known piece of WWII history, but the storyline is lackluster. There is much repetition and insignificant detail that adds nothing to the story, while the historical facts are not well integrated into the plot. Edith’s sons, who converse while walking around Venice, feel like just a fill-in device. Why Venice is the chosen meeting spot is never revealed, but it does bring about unlikely coincidences and a convenient ending. This was a disappointing read.
