In her debut novel “The Vietri Project,” Nicola DeRobertis-Theye crafts a contemplative, meandering exploration of identity, memory, and historical trauma that unfolds with the unhurried rhythm of an afternoon stroll through Rome’s ancient streets. The narrative follows Gabriele, a young woman working at a Berkeley bookstore who becomes fascinated with an enigmatic Italian customer named Vietri, whose extensive and esoteric book orders captivate her imagination. When Gabriele abruptly leaves her life in California behind and arrives in Rome, her half-hearted search for the mysterious Vietri becomes a more profound journey into her own fractured family history and Italy’s complicated past.
DeRobertis-Theye’s prose is measured and introspective, capturing the disorienting experience of existing between cultures and the peculiar timelessness of Rome, where ancient trauma and modern life coexist on every corner. “Nothing was ever able to stand for just itself in Rome,” Gabriele observes, a sentiment that echoes throughout the novel as past and present continuously blur.
Strengths: Atmospheric Depth and Historical Resonance
The novel’s greatest achievement lies in its atmospheric rendering of Rome and its layered history. DeRobertis-Theye meticulously portrays a city where “the population of the city would switch out after the end of the August flight,” and where historical atrocities lurk beneath picturesque facades. Gabriele’s wanderings through the city feel authentic and lived-in, rich with sensory detail:
“The first thing about Rome was always the light, and then it was the people. There was a reaction of spaces and crowds, angles and shadows, that remained imprinted on my mind, the way its short structures, thin alleys would open to a wide avenue, another piazza, suddenly drawing the eye upwards.”
The novel deftly explores how historical trauma reverberates through generations. As Gabriele uncovers fragments of Vietri’s past—his service in World War II, his imprisonment, the massacre at Debre Libanos—she simultaneously confronts her own familial wounds, particularly her mother’s schizophrenia and her strained relationship with her Italian relatives. This parallel creates a compelling thematic resonance that gives the narrative emotional weight.
The book also powerfully examines the immigrant experience and the disorientation of cultural hybridity. Gabriele’s strained relationship with her Italian family and her imperfect grasp of the language captures the peculiar limbo of being both insider and outsider, belonging nowhere completely. “My Italian had always been shaky,” she confesses, emblematic of her tenuous connection to her heritage.
Weaknesses: Pacing and Narrative Focus
Despite its evocative atmosphere, “The Vietri Project” suffers from pacing issues that may test readers’ patience. The narrative meanders in a way that occasionally feels aimless rather than purposeful. Gabriele’s search for Vietri, which initially drives the plot, frequently fades into the background as she becomes absorbed in new relationships and family reconnections.
The novel also struggles with maintaining narrative tension. The mystery of Vietri, while intriguing, never develops the urgency needed to fully engage readers. By the time Gabriele herself acknowledges that finding Vietri is no longer her primary goal, readers may question what’s at stake in her journey.
Perhaps most problematically, Gabriele herself can be a frustratingly passive protagonist. Her tendency to drift through situations rather than actively pursue goals sometimes makes it difficult for readers to invest in her journey. While this passivity is partly intentional—reflecting her uncertainty about her future and fear of developing her mother’s mental illness—it nevertheless creates emotional distance.
Character Development: Complex but Uneven
The characterization throughout the novel is uneven but often compelling. Gabriele herself is rendered with nuance—her fears about inheriting her mother’s schizophrenia, her ambivalence about commitment, and her complex relationship with her dual heritage all feel authentic. However, her emotional growth happens in fits and starts, sometimes feeling more told than shown.
The secondary characters vary in their development. Loredana, the elderly woman who rents Gabriele a room, emerges as one of the most fully realized characters, her grief for her daughter Benedetta providing one of the novel’s most affecting storylines. Similarly, Gabriele’s family members—particularly her aunt Settimia—are drawn with careful attention to their idiosyncrasies and complicated histories.
By contrast, Roberto, Gabriele’s love interest, never quite transcends his role as a plot device, despite hints at depth in his journalistic work with refugees. Their relationship develops in a way that feels somewhat perfunctory, lacking the emotional richness found elsewhere in the novel.
Thematic Exploration: Identity and Historical Reckoning
Where “The Vietri Project” truly excels is in its thematic exploration of how individuals and nations reckon with difficult histories. Through Gabriele’s research into Italy’s fascist past and colonial atrocities in Ethiopia and Libya, DeRobertis-Theye raises provocative questions about historical memory and responsibility:
“It was bewildering to imagine, even these decades later, the history was so complicated it confused empathy.”
The novel thoughtfully examines how personal and collective identities are shaped by the stories we tell about ourselves and our pasts. Gabriele’s search for Vietri becomes a metaphor for her attempt to construct a coherent narrative from disparate fragments—much like her schizophrenic mother’s obsession with rivers, which Gabriele comes to understand as “the brain trying to make a coherent story out of the disparate and often false and disorienting information it was receiving.”
This parallel between individual and historical trauma gives the novel intellectual heft, even when its plotting falters.
Prose Style: Contemplative but Occasionally Indulgent
DeRobertis-Theye’s prose is elegant and reflective, with moments of striking insight. Her descriptions of Rome’s contradictory beauty capture both its allure and its decay:
“Rome had always been a surreal city to me, the clocks all bearing different times, the cobblestones thick as grenades, so different from the smooth pavements of my childhood.”
However, the writing occasionally veers into excessive introspection that slows the narrative momentum. Gabriele’s internal ruminations, while often insightful, sometimes feel repetitive and self-indulgent. The novel would benefit from more narrative drive to balance its contemplative tendencies.
Comparable Works and Literary Context
“The Vietri Project” bears comparison to Rachel Cusk’s “Outline” trilogy in its focus on observation and encounters over traditional plot. Readers who enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Whereabouts” will appreciate similar themes of displacement and cultural liminality. The novel also shares thematic concerns with Elif Batuman’s “The Idiot,” particularly in its portrayal of a young woman’s intellectual and emotional coming-of-age.
As a debut novel, “The Vietri Project” showcases DeRobertis-Theye’s promise as a thoughtful, historically engaged writer with a talent for atmosphere and thematic complexity, even if her narrative craftsmanship has room to develop.
Final Assessment: A Flawed but Thought-Provoking Debut
“The Vietri Project” is an ambitious, intellectually rich debut that doesn’t quite fulfill its narrative promise. Its strengths—atmospheric setting, historical resonance, and thematic depth—are considerable, but they’re undercut by pacing issues and an occasionally unfocused plot.
The novel rewards patient readers with its nuanced exploration of identity, family, and historical trauma. Gabriele’s realization that “though Vietri’s circle and mine had met, they would no longer, our arcs branched out from here,” represents the book’s ultimate wisdom: that understanding comes not from finding neat answers but from embracing the messy interconnections between our personal stories and the larger historical narratives that shape them.
For readers interested in contemplative literary fiction that grapples with history’s long shadows and the complexities of cultural identity, “The Vietri Project” offers a thoughtful, if sometimes meandering, journey through Rome’s layered past and one woman’s search for belonging.
Recommended for: Readers who appreciate atmospheric literary fiction, meditations on cultural identity, and explorations of historical memory over plot-driven narratives.
Not recommended for: Those seeking a fast-paced mystery or clear resolution to the novel’s central quest.