Random Things Tours: The Family by Naomi Krupitsky

 

Sofia Colicchio and Antonia Russo are introduced as two young ladies belonging to middle class Italian families living in NYC. They do have dreams and enjoy spending time together playing or doing their homeworks. However, there is something different about them. Both of them, but especially Sofia. 

´Sofia has just started to notice that people are afraid of her father´. Then, Antonia´s father disappears without a trace and without his body being found. 

Actually, they are not your average immigrant Italian family working hard the American dream in NYC. They are heiresses of The Family, another way to refer to the Italian Mafia in the US.

The brilliant debut novel by Naomi Krupitsky this book fascinated me by the very strong opening which matches perfectly the end. From the very beginning, we are warned that terrible things are about to happen and although there is not a crescendo and the events do take different turns, it ends in an equally dramatic suspenseful note. This match was a favorite part of the story for me.

The story timelines takes the reader from 1928 until shortly after the end of the WWII. An intese period of time, both for the history of NYC as for the rest of the world. Although not directly affected by the world, America is reminded of the horrible things happening on the other side of the Ocean through the stories of Jewish immigrants who escaped to freedom. Among them, the young Saul, initially hired by Sofia´s father, ending up as her husband - but only on his father-in-law terms, which included getting baptized and taking his family name. 

Sofia and Antonia are naively living their lives unaware of the intimate details of their family businesses. Antonia´s father disappear but she will be taken care over. They dream of escape, are interested in men, and even may fall for some. But their coming-of-age is progressively taking place once they are becoming aware of their families, particularly the cruel and deadly part of the business. ´(...) sometimes Sofia, you just have to do things you don´t to do´, explains her father. She may be curious to really understand what he meant by that and getting involved in the very lucrative projects of The Family. Will it help her to see better what are in fact the risks encountered by her husband?

Sofia is the strongest character in the book, not only because she dares to face the destiny her father assigned to her, but because she is ready to do it ´the old way´, as men belonging to´The Family´ may do. The dynamic between the two friends are lost a couple of times during the story, without being clearly explained how and why, and Sofia is offered more space to develop and express her personality. In those moments, as well as when Saul´s betrayal is exposed, the story changes the focus from the characters to The Family. Sometimes, one wants to know more about the characters when the events are unfolding or follow the events that are on the second plan leaving more space to the characters. 

The slow pace may allow a variety of interests to unfold, at their own rhythm. In addition to sharing features of a historical novel, The Family is also a powerful drama of strong characters and violent encounters of destinies. It is an unforgettable debut novel that explores this historical period of time from a new perspective, slicing a piece of reality which is rarely featured in the contemporary literature. Besides the historical context though, there are characters and their stories which matter, adding fictional layers to the pure facts. 

I am really glad I´ve discovered this author and her first book and I am looking forward to Krupitsky´s next novel.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own