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Published Jul 2016
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from bestselling author Delia Ephron that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from one another are exposed and relationships are unraveled.
New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist, travel to Italy with their friends from Maine - Finn; his wife, Taylor; and their daughter, Snow. "From the beginning," says Taylor, "it was a conspiracy for Lizzie and Finn to be together." Told Rashomon-style in alternating points of view, the characters expose and stumble upon lies and infidelities past and present. Snow, ten years old and precociously drawn into a far more adult drama, becomes the catalyst for catastrophe as the novel explores collusion and betrayal in marriage.
With her inimitable psychological astuteness and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none will see coming.
"Starred Review. [Characters] careen headlong into a dark place of deceit and rage in Ephron's brilliant takedown of marital and familial pretense." - Publishers Weekly
"A master of precise and keen character development, a virtuoso of pacing and surprise, a wizard at skewering convention and expectation, Ephron offers a bewitching take on relationships - marital, parental, casual, and serious - in this read-in-one-sitting, escapist escapade with a message." - Booklist
"This could be a quick beach read for those interested in romantic suspense or travel writing, as long as they don't mind the cast of unlikable characters." - Library Journal
"As the clues pile up, the coming storm is expertly foreshadowed - but when it arrives, it's utterly surprising." - Kirkus
"The word 'unputdownable' is somewhat overused when describing a good book - but really, I just could not put this book down ... I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish." - Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs novels
"Delia Ephron's Siracusa is a stunning portrait of two marriages coming unraveled during the stress of travel abroad. Insightful and engaging. A must-read!" - Sue Grafton, author of X
"Siracusa is an Italian aria, a Greek tragedy and a modern American masterpiece written by Delia Ephron at the height of her powers." - Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife
"Delia Ephron writes like a warm-blooded Patricia Highsmith, her story's treachery matched by a deep and easy feel for the various human, imperfect ways that people find themselves bound together, and sometimes painstakingly unbind themselves. An absorbing, tense, and original novel." - Meg Wolitzer, author of The Interestings
"Siracusa is dazzling. Here is Delia Ephron with a stunning noir tale of marriage and morality, as two couples tangled in secret longings and betrayals travel through Italy, along with a gimlet-eyed ten-year-old daughter who could have been created by Henry James. Beware. You will be up all night to finish. I was." - Marie Brenner, author of Apples and Oranges
This information about Siracusa was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Delia Ephron is a bestselling author, screenwriter, essayist, and playwright. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller Siracusa and The Lion Is In. She has written books of essays (Sister Mother Husband Dog (Etc.)), books of humor (How To Eat Like A Child), and books for children and young adults. Her movie credits include You've Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, This is My Life, Michael, and Hanging Up (based on her novel). Her play, "Love, Loss, and What I Wore," written with her sister Nora Ephron (based on the book by Ilene Beckerman), ran for two years off Broadway and has been performed internationally.
Author Interview
Link to Delia Ephron's Website
Name Pronunciation
Delia Ephron: Deelia EF-ruhn
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