Black Madonna

Michael Dicketts was Information Librarian at the Kingston Public Library in Kingston, Ontario.

Readers of Paci’s previous novel about the Barone family can pick up the thread as Black Madonna opens with the death of Adamo Barone and the reaction of his widow Assunta. The story takes place during the 1970s in the decaying Italian district of Sault Ste. Marie. In mourning her loss, Assunta looks in vain for a reconciliation with her daughter Marie and son Joey. Marie’s marriage to the Toronto intellectual Michael has turned sour, while Joey lives at home and dreams of lost opportunities. Marie’s homecoming to attend her father’s funeral causes further family estrangement. Meanwhile, Assunta’s erratic behaviour confuses Joey, who struggles between family duty and a yearning for independence. The novel reaches its climax after Assunta’s tragic death, as the two children grasp the reasons for their mother’s breakdown. Through her death Paci demonstrates a reconciliation of the themes of familial love and dual cultures.

Paci writes in an easy, flowing style in this well-plotted novel. There is a sure touch to the many incidents in the book and to the dialogue which flows from these, which gives credence to the commonplace ideas expressed. I think many readers will find much that touches them personally in Black Madonna, and for this reason alone I would recommend it to a general audience. I hope the author will continue to write on everyday themes as there is a dearth of fiction in this mode among Canadian novelists.