Mussolini's Island

Having covered in detail (or so I thought) fascist Europe from Portugal and Spain to Germany and Italy, it was huge surprise to find out that this was based on actual events! Not usually my cup of tea but I throughly enjoyed and was surprised at how much I wanted to carry on reading! Well written, beautifully paced, taken from life- you can't ask for more!

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.

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.

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.

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.