Beneath the Roman Sky
by Rocco Giancarlo Racco

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Nineteen-year-old Elsa enjoys a privileged life with her aristocratic family, living in an Italian villa and dreaming of romance and sweeping love. When she witnesses her mother engaging in a passionate affair, Elsa is caught completely off guard. She realizes that her world is far more shocking—and more scandalous—than she ever could have imagined. Meanwhile, charming but poor Rosario is traumatized by his parents’ abusive relationship, and young Aria has recently been abandoned by her father. They each turn to different coping mechanisms to get through, and when the demons that haunt them become too overwhelming . . . they may not survive. With a riot of forbidden love, deep undercurrents of generational trauma, and the soaring highs of self-discovery, Beneath the Roman Sky takes readers on an adventure of passion and transgression set against a vividly atmospheric background. Bold, scandalous, and unforgettable, readers will devour this tumultuous novel about what happens when we are pushed to our limits . . . and just how far people are willing to go in the name of love.

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In the city of eternal beauty, secrets bloom, vows shatter, and love turns to ruin.

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Born and raised in Canada to Italian parents, Rocco Giancarlo Racco is an author and English teacher. He has a master’s in education from the University of Toronto with a focus in Writing and Literature and a master’s in Italian Studies with a focus in Literature and Language. He has edited, co-edited and co-translated literary works including the Martyrdom of Patience, The Consul’s List, The Newly Persecuted, and Celebration: 32 Inspirational Women of Italian Canadian Origin. Rocco’s emotionally driven short stories which focus on identity, family and resilience, have been presented on Life Rattle Radio, published in Bare Elements: A Collective Approach to Narrative Nonfiction and presented annually in a Toronto-based Writer’s Festival. He is presently working on another adult novel The Sailor’s Adulterated Canvas as well as a bilingual poetic anthology Reflections of Ink. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Sonia and their three children, Alyssa, Adrienne and Joseph. He continues to draw inspiration from his cultural heritage, travel experiences and everyday life. Beneath the Roman Sky is his debut novel.

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Contributors

Author

Rocco Giancarlo Racco