The Forgotton Italian Restaurant by Barbara Josselsohn

 

The series is about three sisters and I came in only for the last one dealing with Emilia, the youngest of the three. It does very well as a stand-alone.

Told in two separate time lines we are dealing with Italy under Nazi occupation,the mass persecution of Jews and life under very trying times. We move onto present day America, and Callie finding a box of unknown trivia - all talking about a restaurant in Cacciupulia, and people unknown to her. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery she flies to Italy to unravel a mysterious and unbelievable story.

Full of historical detail, apart from the family saga which in itself was complicated and heartfelt, one is drawn into the maelstrom of what Italian society became once it was occupied. Daily life, suspicion of neighbours, the betrayal by who you thought were friends, and the hardships of the ordinary man are highlighted here. How they circumvent the rules laid down by the Germans was a highlight too.

A very good read sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.