PETAWAWA

Scibetta’s historical novel examines the effects of geopolitical strife on a poor Sicilian family.

In 1920, Leonarda Bucci gives birth to her first son, Emilio, in Agrigento, Italy. Her husband Salvatore, tormented by his nightmarish World War I experiences fighting in the Piave, struggles to overcome the baby’s resemblance to his abusive uncle Aldo. The Bucci family is sustained by Salvatore’s employment on the estate of wealthy olive oil merchant Giovanni Savoia and his wife Maria. The two families become closely connected by the friendships between Leonarda and Maria Savoia and their respective children, Emilio and Floria, who are born at the same time. Italy’s economic and political turmoil motivates Maria, Floria, and the Bucci family (which now includes a second son, Raffaele) to emigrate to Canada by 1933. Adjusting to Canada proves difficult—the immigrants face anti-Italian prejudice in school and in everyday life, exacerbated by World War II. After Raffaele loses his temper in a local diner, Salvatore, Emilio, and Raffaele are arrested under the War Measures Act and sent to a hellish camp called Petawawa. Salvatore tells Emilio, “When I was a soldier, I let them kill parts of me I wish I hadn’t…But you and only you have the power to let them die. They may lead you to believe that they have that power, but that is wrong. Only you do.” These words sustain Emilio through his time in Petawawa and a number of tragic losses. Scibetta’s compelling work of historical fiction explores themes of family dynamics, prejudice, and love with a narrative that vividly illustrates the hatred and discrimination that Italian immigrants to Canada faced during the 1930s and throughout World War II. In the current climate of demonization of immigrants, this work provides a unique and welcome historical perspective on displacement.

An illuminating look at the lives of Italian immigrants in Canada in the run-up to World War II and beyond.