Georgia Hunter's gripping second novel, One Good Thing, follows Lili, a young Italian Jewish woman traversing Italy during World War II, determined to protect her best friend Esti's young son. Traveling on foot and trying to evade capture, Lili heads south toward Rome and the Allied-occupied landscape beyond.
Hunter (We Were the Lucky Ones) begins her narrative in 1940, as Lili and Esti celebrate the birth of Esti's son, Theo. The women are worried about Benito Mussolini's Racial Laws, which quickly impact both their lives. When the Germans invade their city, Esti, always the bolder of the two, convinces Lili not only to flee their home but also to join her in forging identification papers for Jews and other refugees. After a raid on the convent in Florence where they're staying, Esti--too injured to travel--urges Lili to take Theo and run.
As Lili makes her way with Theo across Italy, Hunter strikingly portrays the tension and anxiety involved in trekking long distances in secret, constantly looking over one's shoulder. Lili meets priests, nuns, Italian partisans, and others who provide aid and comfort, but she knows her safety is never guaranteed. Hunter explores the particular pain of being betrayed by one's own countrymen and depicts Lili's steadfast love for Theo and her ongoing worry for her friend.
At once a riveting wartime story and a tender tribute to friendship, One Good Thing considers the small acts of kindness and the undergirding love that can sustain people through difficult times. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams