Review of RETURN TO VALETTO by Dominic Smith (New Release)

 4 Stars

In 2011, Valetto is a nearly abandoned town in Italy.  Among its ten remaining residents are the three Serafino sisters (Violet, Iris and Rose) and their mother Ida who is getting ready to celebrate her 100^th birthday.  Hugh Fisher, a historian living in the U.S., returns to their medieval villa where he spent his childhood summers.  His mother Hazel bequeathed him the stone cottage on the family property so he decides to spend his six-month sabbatical there. 

He learns, however, that a woman named Elisa Tomassi has arrived to claim the cottage.  During World War II, Elisa’s mother Alessia was a child refugee given shelter at the villa where she and Hazel became best friends.  Meanwhile, Aldo Serafino, the family patriarch, left to join the Resistance and was helped by Alessia’s parents.  He never returned home after the war, but Elisa tells of his death and his bestowing the cottage in gratitude for the family’s helping to keep him safe.  Ida asks her grandson Hugh to investigate to determine the truth.  He ends up learning about some family history involving his mother Hazel. 

There’s quite a large cast of characters, but everyone emerges as a distinct personality.  I worried about being able to differentiate the three sisters, but that proved not to be an issue.  Each has her own quirks:  Violet loves watching pro wrestling on television; Iris devotes her time to missing persons’ cases; and Rose sponsors children worldwide.  Even minor characters like Milo and Donata, the villa’s staff, are memorable. 

The author’s vivid descriptions transport readers to Umbria.  The landscape and flora are detailed so that it’s impossible not to have a clear visual of the region.  I understand it is possible to buy an abandoned house for €1 as part of an ongoing scheme to revitalize Italy's many sleepy towns with small, ageing populations.  Reading this novel left me wanting to relocate to a rural Italian village.

A major theme is the effects of suppressed trauma on generations.  There’s a wonderful description of actions flowing “across the decades like a tidal bore coming upriver.”  At one point, Elisa speaks about the burden of silence:  “’Silence kills us from the inside.’”  It is only through exposing secrets that they can be confronted and healing can occur.  Hugh, for instance, always felt that he never knew his mother; twice he refers to her as a cipher.  When he learns about what happened to her, a secret she shared with no one except Alessia, he is able to understand some of her behaviour.  Once he has made peace with his mother, Hugh too seems willing to stop wallowing in the past and re-engaging with life. 

Of course it takes courage to speak out.  But it is only when people open up about traumatic events that guilty parties can be made to bear responsibility.  Regardless of how much time has passed, people have a need for justice. 

Though much of the book is serious in tone, there are touches of humour.  The eccentricities of the sisters, the feud between Iris and Violet, and the preparations for Ida’s birthday dinner provide some light-hearted moments.

This is my first book by Dominic Smith.  His novel The Last Painting of Sara de Vos has been on my to-read pile for quite some time, and I think it’ll be moving to the top.  I hope it’s like Return to Valetto which is an example of excellent story-telling, balancing an interesting plot and memorable characters. 

Note:  I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.