“Dear Dr. Sharon, The self-portrait you requested is attached. I make my living drawing marble installations to scale. I’m a draftsman who also provides designs for customers. Forgive the lack of nuance in the sketch, but it is a truthful rendering of how I see myself. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but it would appear my sojourn began with a litany of missteps that led to a face-plant. This is why I’m here. I need your help to get up and move forward. Emotionally.”
That’s a passage from the first chapter of Adriana Trigiani’s novel, The View from Lake Como. The speaker is Jess, who after her recent divorce, is living in her parents’ damp, dark basement in Lake Como, New Jersey. She works for her Uncle Louie in the family marble business and is expected to wait on everyone at every family gathering.
It’s the later that leads her to try online counseling. Her uncle is the only one who sees great potential in her and encourages her to visit Carrara, Italy, to witness firsthand how the marble they sell is cut.
The second half of the book takes place in Italy and has a little Eat, Pray, Love feel to it. Jess falls in love with Italy and discovers a strength she didn’t know she had. There are subplots of a shady business deal and several family deaths, all of which will give you the flavor of an Italian family.
Trigiani may be a familiar author to you, as she’s written 22 books and turned her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, into a film.
So, if you’re a fan of Adriana Trigiani, or just love a good story about a big Italian family, then you must read The View from Lake Como.
