Assessment:
Plot/Idea: What Once Was Promised is a sprawling novel about a group of Italian immigrants to the U.S. who struggle to make a life for themselves and avoid the worst of the Italian mafia in Boston.
Prose: Trubiano's prose is polished and evocative as it details the central character's journey beginning with his departure from Italy to his life in America. The author capably establishes the historical era and conveys the complexities of the immigrant experience, though some passages are weighed down by longwinded description.
Originality: Trubiano writes convincingly about the rise of immigrant communities in Boston. Though the novel has familiar beats relating to universal challenges of finding one's footing in a new nation, the work's focus on the Italian mafia contributes intrigue and tension.
Character/Execution: What Once Was Promised has a wide cast of characters and establishes the main players effectively. While Trubiano creates a realistic picture of immigrant life in mid 20th century Boston, lengthy passages of exposition can sometimes result in a drier reading experience than the circumstances deserve.
Date Submitted: May 23, 2024
Trubiano fills this riveting debut with a wealth of history and deeply appealing characters, all set against the backdrop of the American dream—an elusive notion that taunts Domenic and his fellow Italian immigrants, while they try to survive in the face of treacherous beginnings. Domenic is a solid, admirable character, who devotes himself to work and family—both biological and found. The connections he makes on the passage to America stick with him in unexpected ways, notably young stowaway Ermino Lentini and the beautiful, but married, Francesca Dragatto—one a future mafioso and the other Domenic’s first love. Those relationships come full circle for Domenic in ways he could never have guessed as a young, hopeful immigrant.
Rich with cultural insight, Trubiano’s novel takes on the deadly rivalry between different immigrant groups in early America, particularly the Irish and the Italians, and spins an unforgettable tapestry of community, survival, and political intrigue—in an America where corruption is rampant and it’s literally every man for himself. Domenic’s spirit—and respect for the new life he’s carved—shines brightly throughout, despite his heartbreaking experiences, making this a true homage to the steely resolve of America’s first immigrants.
Takeaway: Riveting story of immigration and Boston’s North End in the early 20th century.
Comparable Titles: Adriana Trigiani’s The Shoemaker’s Wife, Akhil Sharma’s Family Life.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
