Diavola

von Jennifer Thorne

Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.Anna has only two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: 1) Tread lightly and 2) survive.Anna never quite managed fit into the family. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow to the extent of practically dissolving, and her older sister, Nicole, is used to everyone falling in line-including her blandly docile husband and two kids-that she is. Not to be. Questioned. Mom seizes every opportunity to question Anna's life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants peace and quiet. The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso offers the perfect place to endure family togetherness. That is, until vacation start going off the rails-strange noises at night, unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)