In this irresistible debut novel that became a phenomenon in Italy, a freethinking young woman brings a gust of modernity to a traditional small town in Southern Italy, stirring forbidden passions and changing the life of everyone around her. Salento, Italy, June 1934: A coach stops in the main square of Lizzanello, a tight-knit village where everyone knows each other. A couple gets off: The man, Carlo, a child of the South, is happy to be back home after a long departure; the woman, Anna--his wife--is a stranger from the North. She is as beautiful as a Greek statue, but dubious. Salento is her husband's hometown, and while it's only logical to him that they move back after inheriting land and house in the wake of an uncle's passing, Anna is unsure of the role she'll have here. What kind of life awaits her? In a small, muggy town like Lizzanello, there aren't many options for a woman with Anna's sensibilities and ambitions, who doesn't attend church nor gossip. So when she learns that