On The Mother Road

In 1930s Illinois, in an idyllic country environment, though strained by the Great Depression, young Eveline meets Oliver, a promising and idealistic but disillusioned and uninspired writer. Only after a few meetings, they overcome their distrust and prejudices, and begin to exchange opinions, and to tell each other about their lives and their dreams. The passionate love story between them will shape their future actions but also the life of all those around them. Oliver’s close friend, Nick, a lover of life and comfort, realizing the emptiness of his existence, feels a sense of inadequacy and decides to leave as a for Spain as a volunteer, where the civil war is raging. While the winds of war stir on the horizon, the young protagonists will have to learn to fight in order not to be crushed by the events that will change their lives forever. Giving space to the profound cogitations of the characters and offering descriptions that reflect the author’s excellent knowledge of the American world, and in particular of the neighboring area of Chicago, Lucia Campanella presents us with a plausible and compelling work that will have readers fall in love with these characters.