The book is based on a true story. It's 1938 in Italy and under the fascists homosexuality is believed to be a contagion and the men who are gay are rounded up and sent to an island under confino. The story tells of how Francesco and the other men survive on the island. Elena, an island girl is drawn to Francesco despite her parents telling her to stay away from the men. His love and friendship with Emilio grows deeper. An interesting read and debut novel.

Courage and betrayal, love and hate, suspicion and hope in a stonking first novel!

This novel is based on the true story of a little-known event in Italy as the world moves towards the second World War. Mussolini's fascist regime is flexing its muscles, and in this case, is concentrating its interest on the gay population of the town of Catania, on Sicily.

From a letter written by Alfonso Molina, Chief of Police, Catania 'The plague of pederasty in this province's capital is worsening and spreading because youths so far unsuspected are now so taken by this form of sexual degeneracy, both passive and active, that they often develop venereal diseases..........In the absence of a particular law, we must resort, in the case of the most obstinate offenders, to the use of confino.'

The story centres on a twenty-three-year-old called Francesco Caruso, and his group of friends, 'the arrusi', (try as I might I haven't found a definition of this word, but I assume it to mean young gay men who may or not sell their favours).

As well as being one of the arrusi, Francesco and his mother have another secret, one which made it necessary to leave their home in Naples, thirteen years ago, and to hide in Catania. Although in his twenties, Francesco seems much younger in his belief that the authorities won't make good on the measures they are threatening.

Needless to say, all of the boys are rounded up, subjected to intimate medical tests, and taken in chains to the island of San Domino, a tiny lump of rock with very few inhabitants. Their situation is somewhat ambiguous; although prisoners, they are allowed out of their compound during the day, and to trade, but not permitted to speak to the islanders.

The story switches between life on Catania before they are rounded up and to life on the island. Francesco is torn between his boyhood friend and sometimes lover, Gio, and the enigmatic , older, Emilio, who gets him involved in supplying information to the authorities.

The characters are well constructed and the subject treated very sympathetically. Plots interweave expertly and there is plenty of suspicion and suspense. No one knows who to trust in these difficult times, and Francesco comes under suspicion by the arrusi.

This is an excellently crafted novel and I have only touched on the content above; to do any more than that would spoil it for you.

Sarah Day has created a beautifully written novel about a subject of which most people will not have been aware; because of this and the knowledge that these men did exist, although not the characters in the book, it is very poignant and atmospheric. Also, because it is not a graphic novel there are no uncomfortable sex scenes, although there are sexual acts, and these are described very sensitively. In the end this is not a novel about sexual orientation, but about friendships, relationships, trust and betrayal. I thoroughly enjoyed it, my only criticism being that for me it was perhaps a fifth too long.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A new part of WW2 history for me, and quite compelling - it left me wanting to know more which is probably a good sign

I loved Mussolini's Island. Beautifully written prose that is easy to follow while discovering a little known piece of Italian history and a worthy 5* book.

It is 1938 and Mussolini rules Italy where his fascist party view homosexuality as unmanly. Orders are given to round up a group of known gays, known as feminella, in Catania, Sicily, and intern them on San Domino, a small island off the coast. Francesco, the main character, and his mother have a secret they must keep from the regime while hs relationship with his lover, Emilio, is a main thread of the novel.

Mussolini's Island is historical fiction at its best with well drawn and empathetic characters whose lives the readers want to be invested in. Sarah Day's moving literary debut is one I recommend to all readers and is already one of my books of 2017. Many thanks to Netgalley and Tinder for the opportunity to read and review it.

My review as posted on Goodreads on Feb 15th 2017:

I was intrigued by this novel.

It is written in an engaging style and the fictional characters are steadily developed and created.

For me, this is a book which me reaching for the atlas and the history sections on the Internet. I became fascinated by an aspect of fascism in the lead up to the Second World War about which I was barely aware.

If you enjoy historical fiction which has a close grip on real events, you will probably enjoy this book.

I give thanks to Netgalley and Tinder Press for a copy in exchange for this review.

Well written, with a good story line, I enjoyed the book although found it hard to get into.

Extremely impressive on every level: a brave and sensitive exploration of little-known historical events, beautiful prose and complex plotting, an extraordinarily vivid sense of place.

Thanks Headline and netgalley for this ARC.

This novel was hard to like. Not for me

It’s 1938 and Mussolini is in power in Fascist Italy. Homosexuality is viewed as a contagion, a disease that is weakening the manhood of the Italian nation. Like other gay men - or femminella in the local slang – Francesco is in danger of arrest and ‘confino’ (internment) by the authorities. But he has another secret. Because of his father’s political views, Francesco and his mother were forced to leave their home and adopt a new identity and Francesco has vowed to do whatever it takes to protect her and their true identity. When Francesco and other femminell, including his lover Enrico, are rounded up and confined on the island of San Domino, it creates an atmosphere of mutual suspicion within the group as they search for the source of the betrayal.

In telling the story of Francesco and the other internees (based on actual events) the novel explores what people will do in order to survive and to protect the ones they love. The actions Francesco is forced to take and the insidious message that his sexuality is a ‘contagion’ make him question his own nature: “It was something within himself, something weak, something of women that should never have been there, so close to his heart, to the core of what he was. Something that made him a coward."

The internment of the femminella on the island also brings consequences for the inhabitants of San Domino. The story is partly told through the eyes of Elena, a young island girl, who is drawn to the handsome Francesco but cannot understand why her family try to keep her away from him and the other internees. Ironically, internment on the island enables the femminella to more openly express their sexuality than they could before.

Mussolini’s Island is a fascinating insight into a period of Italian history but is also the story of the love between Francesco and Enrico. Although their relationship is clearly sexual, it is the romantic love and deep friendship between them that is the focus. I really enjoyed the book – like the best historical fiction it brought to life actual events in an engaging and entertaining way. I thought this was an impressive debut.