Book Review – Mussolini’s Island by Sarah Day

About the Book

Francesco has a memory of his father from early childhood, a night when life for his family changed: their name, their story, their living place. From that night, he has vowed to protect his mother and to follow the words of his father: Non mollare. Never give up.

When Francesco is rounded up with a group of young men and herded into a camp on the island of San Domino, he realises that someone has handed a list of names to the fascist police; everyone is suspicious of one another. His former lover Emilio is constantly agitating for revolution. His old friend Gio jealously watches their relationship rekindle. Locked in spartan dormitories, resentment and bitterness between the men grows each day.

Elena, a young and illiterate island girl on the cusp of womanhood, is drawn to the handsome Francesco yet fails to understand why her family try to keep her away from him. By day, she makes and floats her paper birds, willing them to fly from the island, just as she wants to herself. Sometimes, she is given a message to pass on. She’s not sure who they are from; she knows simply that Francesco is hiding something. When Elena discovers the truth about the group of prisoners, the fine line between love and hate pulls her towards an act that can only have terrible consequences for all.

Format: Hardcover (384 pages) Publisher: Tinder Press
Publication date: 23rd February 2017 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

It’s 1938 and Mussolini is in power in Italy. Under the Fascists, 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 femminella, including his lover Emilio, are rounded up by the authorities 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 (a story based on actual events), the novel explores what people will do in order to survive and to protect the ones they love. As the novel progresses, the actions Francesco is forced to take and the insidious message that his sexuality is a ‘contagion’, make him begin to 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 little known period of Italian history but it is also the story of the love between Francesco and Emilio. 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.

If you are interested in finding out more, this article provides some historical background to the story.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Tinder Press via NetGalley.

In three words: Romantic, fascinating, well-researched
Try something similar: The Island by Victoria Hislop

About the Author

Sarah Day’s debut novel, Mussolini’s Island, received a 2018 Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown. With a background in science communication, she has worked as a press officer, magazine editor and freelance writer, and was Writer in Residence at Gladstone’s Library in 2019. Her second novel, Night Climbing, was published by Legend Press in September 2024. She lives in London.

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