meetbookgirl 's review for:

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

3.5

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Sara Marsala’s life is a mess. Her restaurant is closing and her husband has asked for a divorce, implying he wants full custody of their daughter. Then her beloved great-aunt Rosie dies and leaves her a ticket out of her pit of despair. She’s sending Sara to Sicily to discover her roots, but more importantly to find out what happened to her great-grandmother who died many years ago before she could join her family in America. Rosie believes Serafina was murdered, and she wants the culprits found and the mystery solved.

I love Italy and actually went to Sicily on holiday last year - as evidenced by ‘Paolo the Polpo’ who is featured in this picture. I bought the little ceramic octopus in Cefalu so of course he had to make an appearance. The dual POV and timelines are intriguing, bringing the feminist undertones of the story forward immediately. Because of course Serafina had a difficult life in her small village because she was a healer - a witch - and of course those prejudices still filter through to today, with Sara needing to prove that her great-grandmother legitimately owned the land her clinic was built on at a time when women couldn’t own property. Unfortunately the involvement of the mafia in the story ruined my enjoyment a little. I’m not a thriller reader and this family mystery came too close to the edge for me.