Lives of the Saints

Vittorio Innocente's childhood is shattered when his mother, Christina, has an affair with a blue-eyed stranger. For the tiny Italian village of Valle del Sole harbours century-old superstitions, fears, maliciousness, hypocrisy and a pagan past. The villagers' apparent Catholicism is no more than a mask to hide behind and a self-righteousness that harms Vittorio and his mother. But as he pieces together the story of his mother's 'crime,' Vittorio discovers the truths of the villagers, the village and gains a new understanding of human nature. Lives of the Saints won the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Governor General's Award for Fiction.