MCM Books: The Sicilian Inheritance
Every Sicilian family has a murder in the bloodline. In fact, my mother threatened to murder me if I talked about it. But this is what author Jo Piazza and I agreed as we messaged back and forth about her new book, The Sicilian Inheritance.
Jo and I have a mutual bestie and met way back in our college days in New York City. When she messaged me that she was going to be doing a book signing at the Italian American Club nearby, I told her I would be there and I would bring Sicilians.
Before even cracking it open, I knew I would love this book for one simple reason: Jo based the storyline on her own family history and centuries old tale that her great grandmother was murdered. Like I said, I have my own “rich” family history, and that is what makes this book immediately intriguing. We’ve all heard stories about our family, but what really happened?
In front of the crowd at the Italian American Club just east of downtown Cleveland, Jo explained that she wrote the fictional tale before she started to research the truth about her great grandmother. This novel is her imagination piecing together what could have been. What she created is a storyline that has mystery, suspense, romance, female empowerment and historical fiction all rolled into a page turner. The Sicilian Inheritance is just pure fun, which is everything you’d want out of a summer beach read.
What I love about the main character, Sara Marsala, is that we can all find at least a piece of ourselves in her. She is a break-the-mold type of bad ass woman in a struggle with her relationship, her career, motherhood and her sanity. After her beloved Great Aunt Rosie passes away, Sara finds out Rosie not only bought her a one way ticket to Sicily, but also wants Sara to solve the mystery of what really happened to her mother.
The story toggles back and forth between present day Sara on a wild goose chase to uncover the past, and also flashes back to her great grandmother Serafina as a young woman growing up in the early 1900’s, pushing social norms and finding herself constantly in danger. Throughout the book, I questioned which characters were on their side and which ones would end up betraying both of these women. I was on edge questioning who my own mind should trust, which kept me constantly craving the next chapter.
Once you finish the book, you can follow Jo’s real life journey to find out the truth about her own great grandmother on her podcast, also called “The Sicilian Inheritance”. And maybe one day, I’ll reveal my own family secrets…and then my own mother will murder me. It will all be full circle.
