Italy in 1943 and 1955 is the setting for The Light in the Ruins, a story of lives lost and turned upside down, a doomed romance and the ravages of war. Chris Bohjalian (The Sandcastle Girls; Midwives) has spared no grisly detail or brutality in chronicling what happened in Tuscany during World War II.
The Rosati family is living in idyllic Villa Chimera in the Tuscan hill country when the Germans take over, forcing the Rosatis to live in one small room. Before this, the family had held the harsh reality of war at bay. Cristina, 18, rode her horse and swam in the pool with her parents, the Marchese and Marchesa, and extended family. Her two brothers were in the army, but still nearby. The family's hope was that the war was nearly over and soon they would be together again. Then Cristina falls in love with a German officer.
We learn about this history in chapters that alternate with a series of murders, and the subsequent investigation, taking place more than a decade later. First, Cristina's sister-in-law Francesca is killed, her heart removed and placed in an ashtray; then the Marchesa is murdered, her heart also removed. What does this signify--and who is next?
Serafina Bettini, the only female homicide detective in Italy, investigates. Her quest brings her back to the villa, where she once fought as a partisan and was grievously wounded, leaving her with scars both visible and invisible.
Bohjalian's characters are multi-dimensional, causing the reader to ponder what decisions he or she might have made in the same circumstances. The Light in the Ruins is a riveting re-creation of a time and place long gone. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.