Asunder

Beneath the Iron Sky

By: Janet Sierzant

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Antonia, a headstrong young woman born into a prominent Fascist family, has always struggled against the rigid expectations imposed upon her. When she moves to Milan, she meets Domenico, a passionate democratic socialist from Sorrento. Drawn together by an undeniable connection despite their opposing backgrounds, they defy societal norms and marry, choosing love over politics. Their joy only deepens when Antonia gives birth to twin sons, Vittorio and Dom, marking the beginning of what they believe will be a hopeful future.

However, their happiness is soon threatened as Mussolini tightens his grip on Italy. A new decree mandates that all boys aged five and older must be conscripted into the militarized youth group, The Sons of the Wolf, designed to instill Fascist ideology from an early age. Domenico, horrified at the prospect of his children being indoctrinated, makes a painful decision—he sends Antonia and their sons to Florence, back to her family, where he believes they will be safer. Meanwhile, he returns to Sorrento and joins the resistance, determined to fight against the very regime that threatens to consume his family’s future.

Janet Sierzant’s Asunder is a heart-wrenching love story set against the backdrop of the Second World War. The main protagonists are well-developed characters. Antonia comes across as sympathetic, and it’s easy to fall in love with the handsome Domenico. This novel’s complex, interesting, and believable emotional tension is overwhelming because it comes from the main protagonists’ interaction and outside forces they can’t control. However, it is their emotional journeys that direct the plot. This is an enthralling novel with numerous twists and turns and a completely unexpected ending. It is a captivating story that will hook readers from the moment Antoinette and Domenico meet in Milan up to the last page of the book. Highly recommended. --Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite