‘Historians estimate that at least eighty per cent of Italian Jews survived the war.’
Kat Devereaux’s author’s note explains that this fact was due, in large part, to the persistence and determination of the individuals and groups who committed to rescue Jews trapped in Italy when the Nazis occupied and patrolled it. This hidden history was what made me choose to read ‘Daughter of Genoa’; I had never previously heard of DELASEM, the government organisation that became a clandestine movement helping Jews to leave the country, and was intrigued to learn more about the febrile situation.
What’s it about?
Genoa, 1944. Anna Pastorino, daughter of a prominent Jewish anti-fascist, lives a small life, hidden away in a flat near the harbour, fearful that every knock at the door could herald discovery by the authorities. When the flat is destroyed by an RAF bomb, Anna must trust a Jesuit priest, Father Vittorio, to deliver her to safety.
Vittorio takes Anna to live with friends of his and Anna quickly realises that Silvia and Barnardo, her hosts, are using their printing shop for dangerous work. Keen to support their efforts, and to spend more time with their collaborator, Mr X, (whom Anna recognises as a celebrity aviator,) and Vittorio, Anna uses her pre-war skills to support their resistance efforts.
Soon, Anna grows closer to Vittorio and Mr X, but when a secret from her past bubbles up, it puts at risk everything she now holds dear…
What’s it like?
Full of the kind of drama you would expect from the blurb, but Devereaux’s light touch meant I never experienced the events as intensely as I might have anticipated. (I still vividly associate Helen Dunmore’s ‘The Siege’ with raw hunger, starvation and desperation, several years after reading it.)
‘It’s extraordinary how the most unpleasant things stay with us the longest.’
A short prologue establishes that this story is a deeply personal one for Anna; her hatred for an as yet unidentified Commendatore is clearly stated, though, again, perhaps more acknowledged than felt by the reader. This is an interesting opening choice for a novel which could be read as a wartime romance; clearly Devereaux wishes to create suspense as we wonder what terrible thing this Commendatore has done.
The novel ends abruptly, with good reason, but despite a detailed author’s note regarding the historical realities, Anna’s story feels a little unfinished. Surely, years later, she would be reflecting on Mr X, or some aspect of her post-war life, rather than simply on her loathing from the Commendatore? That said, the story of her time in Genoa is finished, so perhaps I am just more of a romantic at heart than I realised!
Final thoughts
‘Daughter of Genoa’ introduced me to an interesting chapter in Genoa’s history and I liked Devereaux’s clarity about which elements were factual and which were fictitious. The historical background seemed convincing and the plot logical, but I would have liked to feel more intensity in a war time story.
‘Daughter of Genoa’, Kat Devereaux, 2025, Head of Zeus, paperback
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and a spot on the blog tour.
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