The Situation: Maria Lagana, an Italian-born immigrant now managing a career in Hollywood, is playing her part in helping to keep Mercury Pictures afloat. While her boss makes questionable decisions, some of which cause the company to be investigated by Congress, Maria must work to keep her professional life from falling apart, though her personal life is not doing much better. Unable to move past something she did many years ago as a child in Italy, she has a hard time communicating with her mother, and can only write letters to her father, while her brilliant Chinese-American actor boyfriend cannot avoid being typecast. Things look grim, but the situation takes a troubling turn when Pearl Harbor is bombed, and the U.S. decides to enter the war.
The Problem: Maria has enough to deal with before Vincent, a man who knew her father, shows up at Mercury Pictures. President Roosevelt has already authorized the detaining of those that can be deemed potentially dangerous, particularly any foreign-born persons from Italy, Germany, and Japan. It was her father's political views and activities that were the root of the issues back in Italy, and now Vincent's presence is not only unwelcome, but problematic. As the war continues, and Mercury Pictures turns to churning out propaganda to get Americans to support the war, Maria watches as the company hires those that the country has declared to be the enemy, often to portray on screen the very people the country is fighting. And with each small professional success comes larger defeats, until Maria must face her past as the future seemingly collapses.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction book set mostly just before and during the early beginnings of the U.S. participation in World War II. While the primary part of the story takes place in Los Angeles, readers are also offered a close look at some events in Italy, specifically those surrounding Maria's father. Marra based many of the characters that show up in the book after real people from history, such as the often-warring Feldman brothers, who were modeled after Jack and Harry Warner. And then of course, there was the real Alien Enemy Registration Program that required Maria, her friends, and many of her coworkers to register with the government. This would be only the first of many problems those of Italian, German, or Japanese heritage would face following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
My Verdict: There is a lot going on in this book, which I actually appreciate. I like the movement between different character perspectives and time, as well as locations. Many characters that appear to be minor are steadily given more time on the page through brief but important mentions, giving the overall story an almost more fun and light-hearted feel, given the severity of the subject matter. My main issue with the novel would be the first few chapters and sections, the first of which was difficult to follow given the quick (but interesting) introduction to the world of Mercury Pictures. And the fast-pace of that first section made it difficult to remain interested in the important back story offered by the slower-paced second and third sections. If readers are able to push past the beginning, they are in for an interesting look at Hollywood operations during WWII. I only wish we got to see even more behind the scenes, and maybe from a few more minor characters.
Favorite Moment: I enjoyed any moment when Maria was able to undermine her boss Artie, which was not at all difficult to do.
Favorite Character: Anna is a German-born miniaturist with a fascinating backstory who is soon charged with creating, for a film, a life-sized replica of a German city.
Recommended Reading: I recommend Marra's A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, as well as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.
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