The Light in the Ruins

The Light in the Ruins - Chris Bohjalian

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I spent the whole book dying to know who was the killer and when I found out who it was at the end it felt like a letdown. I don't think it helped much that I didn't really like anyone in the Rosati family either. I was annoyed with how naive Cristina was, and with how rude (but for good reason) Francesca is/was. The only character I actually liked and felt sorry for was Serafina. Whenever the story was told from Serafina's point-of-view I was really hooked in the story. She seemed to be the most complex character of the story and I was really interested in her back-story. I do understand that the parts about the Rosati family's past were crucial to the story, I just didn't find myself really that interested in them.

Overall this was a good WWII historical fiction mixed with a crime mystery. If you liked previous books by Chris Bohjalian you will enjoy this book.