The Italian Ballerina

I'm still trying to read all the books I can that are set in places in Italy that I might be visiting. A good part of The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron is set in Rome. What was especially nice is that some of the history that was covered in this novel was something I'd first learned about in Eternal by Lisa Scottoline.

Before I tell you a little bit about the story, I must say what I didn't like about this novel. It's told from the point-of-view of several of the characters. The timelines jump around, even within chapters! Once I figured out that this time jumping was similar from chapter to chapter, it became a lot confusing. But I'm really not sure why they author decided to write the book this exact way.

Shortly after the death of Dr. Court Coleman, as his family is trying to pick up the pieces, the family is contacted by an Italian woman who claims to have a precious heirloom of Dr. Coleman. His family knew that he had been in Italy during WWII, but what was his connection to this mysterious woman.

Eventually, granddaughter, Del, decides to travel to Italy to unravel this mystery. She (and the reader) learn about what her grandfather experienced during WWII during the time when Jews were being most persecuted in Italy. Court is part of a scheme set in motion by a doctor and a prima ballerina from London to do what they can to protect as many Jews as they can. (The connection to Eternal: Syndrome K, a made up highly contagious disease that a doctor in a Roman hospital creates in order to keep the Nazis out of his hospital wards, the wards where he attempts to protect the Jews.)

In Italy, Del stays with the mystery woman, Italian ballerina, Calla, and her grandson, Matt. Slowly, Del learns Calla's story and how her grandfather's story intersected with hers.

I believe the only factual information in this novel was about Syndrome K. But the story does prove that even during a horrific time in history, there were good people going above and beyond to do good deeds.

In fact, the real life doctor, Dr. Borromeo was recognized posthumously by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations, an honor used to describe non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. In addition, the hospital, the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, received an honor in 2016 from the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, an American organization dedicated to remembering and honoring acts of heroism during the Holocaust. 

Off to google if the hospital is something I might want to see while in Rome. (It's not too far from where we are staying. Perhaps it will be somehow included in our walking tour of the Jewish ghetto.)