The Sicilian Inheritance

When Sara Marsala’s beloved Aunt Rosie dies, Sara agrees to fulfill her aunt’s request to scatter her ashes in their family’s Sicilian village. However, once she arrives on the island, Sara finds there is more to Rosie’s last wish—to discover what happened to her mother, Serafina, and determine if a mysterious deed to several acres of land is real. Piazza’s (Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win) latest is told in alternating chapters, describing Sara in the present as she explores the island and pokes her nose where it might not belong, and Serafina in the past as she works to build a life in the village. As she follows these two women, each caged by the expectations of society, Piazza deftly interweaves the everyday struggles of wives raising their children, keeping the village running, and trying to find happiness in a society that expects much while appreciating little. Narrators Rachel F. Hirsch and Carlotta Brentan convey Serafina’s and Sara’s emotional depths as they face challenges and reflect on the meaning of family and independence. Together, the narrators give each character a unique voice while maintaining consistent, natural-sounding Italian accents.