LIBRETTO

In Wadsworth’s novel, an American freelance journalist finds both drama and community in central Italy.

Forty-five-year-old Allyn “Ally” Crosbie is in Perugia to interview Piero DiBrufa, the mysterious librettist for Sirius, a local upcoming opera. But DiBrufa refuses to cooperate, so Ally’s editor tells her to “find something or someone in Perugia to write about…or move on.” Her story-hunting leads her to Scottish pianist Vincent Norrie, who’s trying to write an opera of his own and with whom she quickly develops a warm camaraderie. At a dinner for local arts heavyweights, Ally also meets the elusive Elaine Bishop—Sirius’ stage director and Vincent’s longtime friend who becomes the subject of Ally’s piece. As Vincent’s health mysteriously declines and further crises erupt at the opera, Ally must rethink the story she came to write while navigating the delicate triangle that she, Elaine, and Vincent have formed. The narrative takes a while to get going amid Ally’s one-off encounters and her dismissal of her editor’s demands for material. But Wadsworth plays the long game, and readers will easily settle into Perugian life; well-drawn side characters, including Ally’s headstrong apartment lessor, Signora Caccini, and bookseller Italo Montecalvo, add color to the narrative. Ally and Elaine’s will-they, won’t-they journey feels genuine and grounded, if sometimes hesitant. Wadsworth excels at depicting the complicated love between Ally and Vincent, two queer characters whose intimacy is vivid and authentic. Humor sneaks in, as when Ally eavesdrops on a conversation while a spider creeps up her neck and in this exchange between Vincent and Ally: “ ‘And what new idea did you come up with for the beginning of my opera?’ ‘I think I had some sort of sexual encounter with a washing machine.’ ” Compared to the characters’ emotional depth, the plot twists involving the opera feel a bit flat, but they ably flesh out a vibrant part of Italy that may be unfamiliar to international readers.

A leisurely, moving tale of intimacy and art with a lovingly drawn Italian setting.