Seeking Perseophone (The Lancaster Family #1) by Sarah M. Eden

 

Summary (from the publisher): In this tender, voice-driven debut novel, an Italian American grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter find their lives—and their secrets—colliding when, after years apart, they come to live under the same roof, together finding courage to be the most authentic versions of themselves. 

When three generations of powerful Valentini women find themselves living under one roof in the old family home for the first time in years, they’re forced to reckon with not only each other, but with womanhood itself. Named after a statue in a country two of them have never seen, and one refuses to return to, they must finally come face to face with the secrets and tensions that have been dictating their lives for as long as they can remember. Graziella, the ninety-six-year-old matriarch of this Italian American family, spends her days running not only her family, but her church’s food kitchen, keeping everyone fed in their suburban New York neighborhood. Her daughter, Grace, is feeling uninspired at work, battling the throes of menopause, and most urgently, trying to stay afloat amidst her impending divorce. Ella, granddaughter of Graziella and daughter to Grace, is stuck in limbo, tired of trying to defend her vegan diet and anti-capitalistic lifestyle, while still wanting to do something important with her life.

Lyrical and emotional, The Three Graces of Pearl Street examines the intricacies of what it means to balance tradition and modernity, along with the difficulties and joy that comes from being around family who know and love you the most.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC, which is out on September 1st. 

I am always a sucker for a family saga, and I especially loved that this one centers around three generations of women, who are all named Graziella. 

Graziella is the most fierce and iconic Nonna I have ever come across in literature. She is the ruthless matriarch of the family and is simultaneously rude and generous to everyone she meets. She has high standards for her only daughter and granddaughter and is a master in the kitchen. She has an indomitable sense of right and wrong and the way things should be. She has an amazing backstory: a nun that fell in love with the mailman. In comparison, her daughter Grace is professionally accomplished as a Columbia professor but flailing in a marriage that has slowly been dying for years. And her granddaughter Ella has fled from MIT and her promising science career and is now working at a thrift store, to the exasperation of her mother and grandmother. 

This book is so rich in detail. Ella is type one diabetic, which is a big part of her character. Cats are seen throughout the book, which feels in keeping with their family history as Graziella's mother came from Italy with just a cat. Along those same lines, the fierce Graziella has a distinctive cane with a brass lion's head that "felt like a sword" and is a fitting symbol for her. Their family home on Pearl Street, where four generations have lived, is filled with well-worn but functional items, especially the kitchen: "Nothing in her childhood home had changed in the last sixty years." I also loved all of the New York City scenes that felt very visceral and familiar like the local Italian market and the MET cloisters. Ella is always writing haikus in her mind, which was a fun and quirky character trait. Grace is always hot and always laying on towels and sweating more than she would like: "Grace was lying in her underwear and a tank top on a beach towel, trying to sleep."

I do find that a lot of family dramas are very character driven (which I love!). While this book does have absolutely unforgettable characters, it also has an equally compelling plot. A rare feat! This has multiple plot developments that surprised me and is way more thrilling than I would have even guessed. I'm not going to tell you most of them because we don't do spoilers here but suffice it to say that this is action packed and brings some drama. We're talking radioactive materials, terrible husbands, and the dark underbelly of the Catholic church. 

A moment for the food!! All of the Italian food mentioned in this become almost another character in this book. Just a few dishes referenced: Baccala alla romana, salted cod and potataoes stewed in San Marzano tomatoes, sardine salad, "fried smelts, marinated eel, anchovies with endive, calamri salad, seared scallops, spaghetti with clams, and her beloved baccala," Grazziella's famous cutlets, "lamb slow-roasted with fresh herbs and anchovy paste," "zuppa di pesca, a Roman fish stew," "bowls of tomato soup and Caesar salads," "crostata di recotta e visciole, a sour cherry and ricotta cake," frittata, Italian sausage, pangiallo, pizzelle, biscotti, and broth: "It was the same broth that had carried them through every birth, every loss, every injury, every illness, for generations."

At times the scene transitions and dialogue felt slightly stilted and clunky in a couple sections. But truly my only minor negative! An outstanding debut rich in family history, descriptions, and fully fleshed out characters and scenes. I loved that this book is inspired by the author's own family history and her deep love and understanding of the family's background and cultural heritage showed. 

Favorite quotes: 

"Grace could feel herself reaching through generations, far across an ocean, for something to hold onto."

"Don't ever think a system can fix anything. People fix things. Decency is simple but not easy. It's the only thing we have."

"Her mind began making haikus, but none of them fit the syllable pattern. She couldn't find the right words or do the math on Mike Graziano."

"People talked about Father Time, but Graziella believed time was a mother. It shooed everyone forward, insisted that they eat their meals and live their lives, even when the sky was falling."

"A woman opened her legs and gave birth to the church."

"Graziella's culinary heritage stretched far across an ocean, centuries deep into the corners of Rome and the countryside outside of it."

"Some people came to faith by climbing a ladder. Others fell into it and let themselves be caught."

"It takes finesse to put your finger on the scale without breaking it."

"People were always trying to settle up their tab rather than pay it forward, and it frustrated her to no end."

Stars: 4.5