Eternal

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021. 468 pages. *****

It is May 1937 and three best friends, Elisabetta D'Orfeo, Marco Terrizzi and Sandro Simone look out for each other despite their family differences. Changes are coming to Italy and Mussolini is both revered and reviled by their families and neighbors. Sandro, a Jewish mathematician and scholar, has his future in academia assured until Mussolini aligns his Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and enacts the Race Laws. Marco, a playboy and cyclist, who works in the local Fascist office, likes his uniform and the power it brings until his actions make him a target for two OVRA officers. Abandoned by her mother, Elisabetta, a waitress in the local Italian restaurant, takes care of her alcoholic father while dreaming of becoming an author. The two boys vie for Elisabettas's love and each one hopes to marry her someday. When the highest-ranking officer of the SS in Rome demands fifty kilograms of gold within thirty-six hours or two hundred Jews will be arrested and deported to Germany, nothing will ever be the same for the three friends and their families. Their childhood did not prepare them for the food shortages, loss of jobs, separation of family members, secrets, and brutal murders. 

Definitely not her usual style of writing and choice of subject, Scottoline has proven herself in yet another genre. Extensively researched and well-written, I love historical novels that transport me and transports me to a time period and place -- the food, the smells, the fears, the hardships, and the friendships. I visited a Jewish Ghetto in Italy and Lisa has captured the essence of it perfectly. The women in the story are strong-willed and ferocious in their love for their family, however, they are no match for the Nazis when they invade Rome. Eternal is an excellent Book Club selection, many research and discussion topics. I highly recommend this novel.

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 Bestselling Author, The New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 33 novels, including her latest work, Eternal, her first-ever historical novel.

She also writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Chick Wit” which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman’s perspective. 

For more information on Lisa Scottoline.

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