Saint of The Narrows Street (2025) by William Boyle begins in 1984. The setting is Gravesend, Brooklyn, a working class Italian-American neighborhood. And when the novel begins we are introduced to 28 year old Risa Franzone. She is married to Saverio Franzone (Sav) and they have an eight month old baby, Fabrizio (Fab).
Risa is afraid of Sav and miserable. She wants out of their marriage but she is religious and her parents, devout Catholics, would never accept her divorcing Sav even though he is unfaithful and abusive.
Giulia Taverna, Risa's 24 year old sister, is staying with Risa and Sav. And then one night Sav tries to strangle Giulia. Risa takes an iron skillet and bashes Sav's head in, killing him. The right thing to do is to call 911 and explain it was self-defense. Sav was trying to strangle Giulia. And a few days prior as a joke Sav pointed a gun at Risa and baby Fav There were witnesses including Sav's friend Christopher (Chooch) who was disgusted by what Sav did.
But instead of going to the police Risa, Giulia and Chooch (who they call over for help) decide to tell no one what happened. They drive all night to upstate NY and bury Sav's body on the grounds of Chooch's mother's abandoned house.
As the years go by it looks like Risa, Giulia and Chooch have gotten away with what they did. Everyone in the neighborhood believes that Sav is just the kind of character who would pack up and leave his wife and baby, including Sav's parents. And you would think knowing they got away with it that Risa, Giulia and Chooch would be able to get on with their lives.
But of course they can't. As the years and then decades go by their conscience and their anxiety will not let them forget their past. And then there is Fab who was eight months old when his father died. Fab's been told his father skipped town but in part four of the book it is 2004 and Fab who is now 18 has questions and he wants answers.
Saint of The Narrows Street is a gritty and profoundly sad novel about the dangers people can get into when they make the wrong choices in life. It's a novel about regrets, deep regrets. But it is also a wonderfully written character driven novel. I will not forget Risa, Giulia and Chooch anytime soon.
A starred review from Publisher's Weekly and I agree.
I don't actually know if I would read this but it sounds like a very intense and intriguing book. Great review, Kathy. I might look the book up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cath. It is a very intense book and particularly as you get to the end very sad. It deserves the critical praise it's gotten but one has to be in the right frame of mind for Saints of The Narrows Street. I'm going to look for something more fun to read after this novel.
DeleteThis does sound like a very sad novel. Did they have a good reason for not calling the police? I'm pretty sure this is not the book for me. I hope you have something happier to read next. :D
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad and Guilia and Chooch's reason for not calling the police was they were worried that the police would not believe Risa killed Sav in self defense and so she would wind up in jail.. Risa wanted to call 911 but she let herself be talked out of it. I am glad I read the book but I do enjoy books with a happier less grim ending.
DeleteWhat a compelling story! Your summation is so good--choices, wrong choices, the past never is really past. Thanks for a great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jane. It's a powerful story and wrong choices when we are young can sometimes be overcome but not always which is what Saint of the Narrows Street shows us.
DeleteWell that sounds like it would weigh heavily on you for the rest of your life ... and also whether others would find out. Yikes. It sounds anxiety-inducing but it does sound like good characters, though you might need a happy book now, lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's a powerful book and I can't stress enough how well drawn the characters of Risa, Giulia and Chooch are. That's why it's so sad. I really got to know them and I felt so bad about how that one terrible decision destroyed their lives.
DeleteThis does sound good. I am not familiar with that author. I may look into some of his earlier work.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read his earlier work but Wiliam Boyle can write! That's for sure.
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