A mesmerizing novel of betrayal, loss, and multiple identities, this is the story of Licia Giganteschi, for whom it takes half a lifetime to go back home, to a place she loves and hates at the same time. Licia grows up in the beautiful wilderness of a mountain village in Calabria, Italy. Born of terroni with aspirations for their children, she is raised by Grazia, an introverted mother, and Marco, a guest-worker in Germany. She spends her time between the Zimpoli farm of her revolutionary, eccentric grandfather, and the suffocating scrutiny of her fathers relatives in the village of Aquilonia. When the call to immigrate to Canada comes, for Licia, it is a welcome call. But she could not have foreseen that the curse of the Giganteschis, which she hears about for the first time during a schoolyard fight, will follow the family to Toronto and beyond. When Licia finally returns home and retraces the steps of those who loved her and those who hurt her, she understands how her mother’s life, and her own life, are intertwined with the mysterious women who were her mother’s only friends: her uncle’s mistress, a nun in a cave, and a witch who delivers babies.

Lina Medaglia was born and raised, until the age of eleven, in Italy. Her family immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1966. With her partner, she has written a number of musical projects including a three-hour modern opera entitled Casanova, a CD of progressive/political country music entitled Bald Eagle, and a CD of political rock entitled Dreamland and other Conspiracies. She is also a poet, and has read her poetry at Toronto festivals, including Nuit Blanche. Her poetry has been published in the labour magazine, Our Times. She has authored, for scholarly texts and handbooks, numerous articles on women’s issues and transformative learning (Herstories: The Narrative Curriculum in a Unique Women’s Program, Towards Equal Access: The Shelter, and Mind and Heart: A Study of Best Approaches for Working with Ontario Immigrants and Refugee Youth on the Prevention of Violence Against Women). Lina Medaglia teaches, writes, and lives in downtown Toronto with her family. The Demons of Aquilonia is her first novel.

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• Short-listed, Biennial F. G. Bressani Literary Prizew

The Demons of Aquiloniais a very complex novel, both in terms of its timeline and its geographic setting. Its colourful characters jump back and forth from one scenario to another in the present, the recent past and the remote past. Yet there is no room for confusion, as the chapters are clearly dated and the voices are firmly anchored in history and geography.The story that begins to unfold is multilayered and rich in mood and intent, leading to an astonishing and surprising denouement. This strong narrative is achieved by the skilful use of dialect and by a clean and lyrical narrator's voice.