Inheritance: A Novel

This exquisitely written novel asks a simple question: how well do we know our parents? One half of the story begins after the death of Luigi Bonocchio an Italian immigrant whose daughter Olivia discovers a mysterious deed among his possessions. The deed is to a house in Urbino Italy---the hometown he barely spoke of. Intrigued Olivia travels there. At first she is charmed by the historic city the relatives shes not met before and the young lawyer shes hired to help her investigate the claim. But when Olivia tries to sort out the deed she is met with a puzzling silence. Everyone in the town remembers her father but they are not eager to tell his story. However Luigi tells his part of the tale directly to the reader as the chapters alternate between Olivias search for the truth and Luigis account of his history. By the end of this skillfully constructed book the reader understands both sides of a heartbreaking yet ultimately satisfying love story.