The Girl on the Via Flaminia [Kindle Edition]

The liberation of Rome during World War II was not a "liberation" to many of its inhabitants, once the occupying American and British armies took up residence. Many Italians resented what they regarded as the occupiers' sense of entitlement and superiority. Perfectly capturing the atmosphere and mood of this unique point at the end of World War II, author Alfred Hayes creates a microcosm of Roman life through the Pulcini family on the Via Flaminia. Adele, the mother, needing funds and food, turns her dining room into a small café for a handful of American and British soldiers in the evening, and, if they need "company," she arranges for them to meet Italian women.

When one resident leaves, the Pulcinis' maid arranges for her friend Lisa, desperate for food and shelter, to move into the empty room and to pose as the wife of an American soldier. Robert, the "husband," is a lonely young American who wants company--not a prostitute--someone to talk to, and even, perhaps, to take to bed--but he especially wants a sense of "home," which he hopes Lisa will provide. Their awkward relationship is sensitively rendered. Lisa regards Robert as a "barbarian conqueror" and has no desire to know him better. Robert tries clumsily to establish some sort of communication, but he fails to understand that Lisa has her own needs which go beyond food and shelter. Against this backdrop of failed connections and conflict looms Antonio, the Pulcinis' son. A soldier wounded during the retreat from southern Italy, the proud Antonio sees himself as the defender of Italian values and culture. He believes Lisa is an honest married woman, a noble example of Italian womanhood, but he soon adds to the conflicts.

As much a drama as it is a novel, this book perfectly captures each person's misguided attempt to carve out a "home" during the Occupation. The themes of occupier vs. occupied, military "conquerors" vs. prideful populations who do not regard themselves as "conquered," and individuals caught up in personal crises within a governing structure over which they have no control are as universal and a propos today as they were almost sixty years ago when this book was originally written. Author Albert Hayes gives each of the main characters his/her own point of view, enhancing the reader's understanding of the conflicts which brew beneath the surface.

When the Italian police arrive and the turning point occurs, the characters have been so carefully drawn and the symbolism (a snake in the water, a crippled owl, Antonio himself) has been presented so clearly that no careful reader will be surprised by the outcome. Written in 1949, this novel (newly reprinted by Europa Editions), is filled with vibrant dialogue which reveals character and reflects Hayes's experience as a much-honored screenwriter. His characters and their troubles resonate long after the book is finished. n Mary Whipple