Richard Samuel Sheres
In this profound novel about deep convictions and anguishing choices, an estranged daughter returns to Italy to unearth the heartrending story of her father’s experience during World War II. It is 1943 in Tuscany, and Daniel Gideon, noted physician and international pacifist, kisses his wife Paola goodbye and heads off for his day in wartime Italy. He will never see her again.On his way home, Gideon is intercepted by antifascist partisans and spared the fate that has befallen Paola and the rest of his family. The tragic events have been instigated by a bitter betrayal, and he must unwillingly live on the run with the partisans who saved him. Pacifist Gideon struggles as his deepest convictions are challenged, and as he pieces together the events that led to his family’s tragedy, he must grapple with grief, rage, and a desire for revenge. After his death many years later, Gideon’s story is discovered in a box of papers uncovered in a basement in Italy, and his estranged daughter Victoria is invited to Italy to attend a ceremony in Gideon’s honor. During her stay, Victoria reads the papers and uncovers astonishing revelations about Gideon, her place in his heart, and the betrayals to which he and Paola fell victim. And she is forced to contend with those who want a different version of history to prevail.By the end of her soul-searching journey, Victoria must decide whether she can honor her father’s principles and legacy and still be true to herself.
