Acclaimed Italian author Caterina Bonvicini delivers a big, bold, all-encompassing novel in The Year of Our Love, a deeply engrossing 40-year love story influenced by historical events that occurred in Italy over decades.
In 1975, two sensitive five-year-olds share a kiss in Bologna, Italy. Olivia is the granddaughter and heir of the Morganti family, who have made their fortune as industrialists. Valerio is the son of the gardener and housekeeper of the estate. They all live on the Morganti property. The kiss between Olivia and Valerio is innocent, yet it seals their fate. Though they don't know it at the time, their lives are forever changed, their hearts entwined, inseparable, though their class and socio-economic backgrounds set them drastically apart.
Through short, perfectly selected and astutely crafted scenes, Bonvicini depicts episodes from the lives of Olivia and Valerio over the next four decades in an Italy where corruption--in both personal lives and the society at large--is endemic. Under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy endures a period of scandalous, widespread exploitation that includes bombings, thefts and racketeering; decadent affairs and pedophilia; and rampant shady business dealings.
As the years progress through 2013, Olivia and Valerio grow up and go their separate ways. Yet their paths, somehow, keep crossing. Each reunion affirms and deepens their connection as friends, confidantes and passionate lovers. The short-term oasis of each rendezvous forges them into kindred spirits and soul mates. However, the differences in their social class continue to drive a wedge between them. Olivia sashays into high society. Lured by the refined enlightenment of culture, she marries someone else. Meanwhile, Valerio works hard to ascend to a career as a magistrate, only to become waylaid, trapped by choices that lead to a different life that suddenly pits him against the Morgantis.
High drama and moments of great wisdom flesh out themes centered on the perils of upward mobility, appearances for appearance's sake and allegiance to marriage and family. Chilling, stark realities force some characters--including a very strong, vividly rendered supporting cast--to become victims of the dark era in which they live. In stunning prose, translated by Antony Shugaar, Bonvicini renders an intricately plotted contemporary Italian epic where the fate of her star-crossed lovers is magnified by the crushing influence of familial and societal forces. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
Shelf Talker: This exquisitely written epic love story traverses 40 years of dark Italian history, depicting the effects of socio-economic class division.