All This Talk of Love: A Novel

Fifty years ago, Antonio Grasso brought his wife Maddalena from the Italian village of Santa Cecilia to America. She has not seen her family since, and has kept those memories locked away. Now with children, grandchildren, and a successful family restaurant, Maddalena has no desire to revisit her past. However, Prima, their American-born daughter, was raised hearing stories of the old country. As her parents age, Prima proposes taking the entire family back to Italy to reunite Maddalena with her estranged sister and allow her parents to see their homeland once more. The idea threatens to divide the Grasso family until unexpected events force them to make the journey. The novel explores themes of sacrifice and hope, loss and love, myth and memory as the family confronts their past.