Self-Portrait in the Basement

Jess Baratta, newly divorced and living in her parents' basement in Lake Como, New Jersey, is stuck in a rut. She's the family's go-to caretaker, always putting others first, and now feels invisible and unfulfilled. Her therapist, Dr. Sharon, asks her to draw a self-portrait, which only highlights her unhappiness. Jess dreams of Italy, a place she's never visited but idealizes as a land of beauty and possibility. Her family, especially her mother, wants her to reconcile with her ex-husband, Bobby, but Jess is determined to find her own happiness—even if she doesn't know what that looks like yet.

Family Business, Family Burdens

Jess works for her Uncle Louie at Capodimonte Marble and Stone, the family business. The Capodimontes and Barattas are a tight-knit Italian American clan, their lives intertwined by tradition, food, and shared history. Uncle Louie is a charismatic, old-school Italian American, and he wants Jess to take over the business someday. He proposes a trip to Italy to see the marble quarries, a dream Jess has always harbored but never dared pursue. The family's expectations, secrets, and the weight of tradition both support and suffocate her.

Sunday Dinner, Secret Dreams

Sunday dinner is a sacred ritual, filled with food, laughter, and subtle power struggles. Jess's role as the unmarried, childless daughter means she's expected to serve and sacrifice. She secretly plans to move out and start a new life, but fears her family's reaction. The dinner table becomes a battleground for dreams and disappointments, with Jess's desire for independence clashing with her mother's need for control and her family's resistance to change.

Uncle Louie's Legacy

Uncle Louie, Jess's mentor and champion, suffers a heart attack and dies, leaving her grief-stricken and adrift. He bequeaths her the family business, but also a tangle of financial secrets—an off-the-books operation called the Elegant Gangster, with questionable tax practices and offshore accounts. The FBI comes knocking, and Jess is left to untangle the mess while mourning the only person who truly believed in her.

The Art of Escape

With Louie's encouragement (and a plane ticket he left her), Jess finally travels to Italy. She settles in Carrara, the marble capital, and is awed by the beauty, history, and the sense of belonging she feels among the mountains and piazzas. She rents a small apartment, befriends Conor, an Irish-Italian marble exporter, and meets Angelo, a talented but emotionally guarded gilder. Italy is both a literal and metaphorical fresh start, but Jess's old anxieties and family ties follow her.

Therapy, Truth, and Tears

Jess continues therapy online, cycling through a parade of therapists who each nudge her toward self-acceptance and assertiveness. She confronts painful family secrets: her parents used her college fund to pay for her brother's law school, and her mother's overprotectiveness stems from Jess's premature birth and early health struggles. Jess learns that her role as the "maiden aunt" was never her choice, and that true change means claiming her own desires, not just serving others.

Marble Mountains, Italian Light

Jess finds purpose in drafting marble installations and learning the craft of gilding from Angelo. She's drawn to the physicality and permanence of marble, seeing in it a metaphor for her own search for solidity and self-worth. The Italian landscape, with its ancient quarries and luminous light, inspires her to imagine a life built on her own terms. She also discovers that her Uncle Louie may have fathered a son in Italy decades ago, adding another layer to her family's complex legacy.

New Beginnings in Carrara

Living alone for the first time, Jess relishes her independence and the anonymity of being a stranger in a new place. She adopts a stray kitten, Smokey, and forms a circle of friends that includes Conor, Farah (a trans woman and marble engineer), and eventually, Angelo. She's evicted for keeping a pet, but stands her ground and negotiates to stay. Italy teaches her to balance tradition with self-assertion, and to find joy in small, daily rituals.

Gilded Connections

Jess's relationship with Angelo deepens, but both are wary—he's entangled with another woman, and Jess is still processing her divorce and family baggage. They share a passion for art and craft, but struggle to communicate their feelings. Meanwhile, Jess's ex-husband Bobby reappears, seeking closure and perhaps reconciliation. Jess realizes that love, like marble, requires both strength and vulnerability, and that she must let go of the past to embrace the future.

The Big Secret

Jess uncovers the truth about Uncle Louie's Italian son, Mauro, and must decide whether to reveal it to her family. She also confronts her parents about the sacrifices and betrayals that shaped her life, leading to painful but necessary conversations about money, gender, and expectations. The family's web of secrets, resentments, and unspoken love is laid bare, forcing everyone to reckon with the cost of loyalty and the possibility of forgiveness.

Love, Loss, and Letting Go

Jess returns to New Jersey for Aunt Lil's funeral, where she's reunited with her family, old friends, and the ghosts of her past. She learns that Bobby is now dating her best friend Lisa, and that her family is finally ready to acknowledge her needs and dreams. Jess forgives her parents, lets go of her anger, and accepts that happiness is not about pleasing others, but about building a life that feels true.

Coming Home Changed

Jess's journey comes full circle as she balances her American and Italian identities, her longing for family and her need for independence. She decides to return to Italy, where she buys and renovates her grandmother's old farmhouse in Carrara, turning it into a home and a symbol of her reclaimed agency. Her family visits, and she welcomes both blood relatives and chosen family into her new life.

The Elegant Gangster Unveiled

Jess works with the FBI to resolve the legal and financial fallout from Uncle Louie's secret business. She chooses honesty over profit, refusing to wear a wire or pursue the offshore money, and instead clears her name and the family's reputation. The experience teaches her that true legacy is not about money, but about character, courage, and the willingness to do what's right.

Forgiveness and Fresh Starts

Jess's family, including her newly discovered cousin Mauro, comes together in New Jersey for a funeral and a celebration of life. Old wounds are acknowledged, apologies are made, and new bonds are formed. Jess and Angelo, now free of old entanglements, admit their feelings for each other and look toward a shared future. Jess's mother finally asks if she's happy, and Jess can answer honestly: she is.

Building a Life Anew

Jess settles in Carrara, designing and renovating her own home, starting an architecture firm, and collaborating with friends old and new. She finds joy in work, love in partnership, and meaning in community. The lessons of her journey—self-acceptance, resilience, and the courage to claim her own story—become the foundation of her new life.

Family, Found and Chosen

Jess's family visits her in Italy, and she welcomes them into her new home, blending tradition with innovation, past with present. She honors her ancestors, forgives old hurts, and celebrates the family she's built—both the one she was born into and the one she's chosen. The view from Lake Como, whether in New Jersey or Italy, is now her own.

The View from Lake Como

Jess reflects on her journey in a letter to her therapists, expressing gratitude for the lessons learned and the life she's created. She's found happiness not by escaping her past, but by understanding and transforming it. The view from Lake Como—of family, love, loss, and self-discovery—is now clear, beautiful, and entirely hers.

Characters

Jess Baratta

Jess is the protagonist, a thirty-something Italian American woman whose life has been defined by service to her family and the expectations of her community. Newly divorced and living in her parents' basement, she struggles with anxiety, self-doubt, and the weight of tradition. Through therapy, travel, and the challenges of inheriting a complicated family business, Jess gradually learns to assert her needs, claim her dreams, and build a life on her own terms. Her journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the courage to embrace both her roots and her individuality.

Uncle Louie Capodimonte

Louie is Jess's beloved uncle, boss, and champion. He embodies the best and worst of Italian American tradition: generous, funny, and loyal, but also secretive and prone to cutting corners. His sudden death leaves Jess both a legacy and a mess—she inherits the family business, but also the Elegant Gangster, an off-the-books operation with legal and ethical complications. Louie's faith in Jess is the catalyst for her transformation, and his memory guides her as she navigates grief, responsibility, and the search for meaning.

Philomena "Philly" Baratta

Jess's mother is a force of nature—opinionated, anxious, and fiercely devoted to her family. Her overprotectiveness stems from Jess's premature birth and early health struggles, but it manifests as control and criticism. Philly's own disappointments and sacrifices shape her expectations for her children, especially her daughters. Over the course of the novel, she is forced to confront her own limitations, apologize for past hurts, and finally ask Jess the most important question: Are you happy?

Bobby Bilancia

Bobby is Jess's childhood sweetheart and former husband, a good-hearted but conventional man who represents the safety and limitations of her old life. Their marriage ends not in betrayal, but in the slow realization that Jess needs more than he can offer. Bobby's journey mirrors Jess's: he, too, must let go, forgive, and move on—eventually finding happiness with Jess's best friend, Lisa. His presence in Jess's story is a reminder that love can endure even after romance ends.

Angelo Strazza

Angelo is a gilder and marble craftsman in Carrara, Italy. He is emotionally reserved, shaped by family expectations and past disappointments, but is drawn to Jess's warmth, humor, and independence. Their relationship is slow to develop, complicated by misunderstandings and old entanglements, but ultimately becomes a partnership of equals. Angelo represents the possibility of new love built on mutual respect, shared passion, and the willingness to grow.

Aunt Lil Capodimonte

Lil is Uncle Louie's wife and Jess's godmother, a childless woman who becomes a second mother to Jess and her siblings. She is gracious, stylish, and supportive, offering Jess a refuge from family drama and a model of feminine strength. Her death is a turning point for Jess, prompting her to return home, reconcile with her family, and honor the women who shaped her.

Conor Kerrigan

Conor is a marble exporter and Jess's first friend in Italy. He helps her navigate the business, introduces her to key players, and provides emotional support. Conor's own story—balancing heritage, ambition, and love—parallels Jess's, and their friendship is a model of cross-cultural understanding and chosen family.

Farah Adeel

Farah is a Pakistani-British marble engineer and lecturer in Carrara. Her journey of gender transition and self-acceptance offers Jess a powerful example of courage and authenticity. Farah's friendship and mentorship help Jess see that happiness requires living one's truth, even when it means breaking with tradition.

Mauro LaFortezza

Mauro is the son Uncle Louie never knew he had, the product of a summer romance in Italy. Raised by his mother Claudia and her husband, Mauro grows up to manage the marble quarry, unknowingly following in his biological father's footsteps. His discovery as Jess's cousin forces both families to confront the costs of secrets and the possibilities of forgiveness and connection.

Lisa Natalizio

Lisa is Jess's childhood friend and hairdresser, a loyal and supportive presence throughout her journey. Her eventual romance with Bobby is a surprise, but also a sign that life moves on and happiness can be found in unexpected places. Lisa's honesty and humor help Jess see that letting go of the past is not a loss, but a gift.

Plot Devices

Intergenerational Family Saga

The novel uses the structure of an Italian American family saga, with stories, secrets, and traditions passed down through generations. The past is always present, whether in recipes, rituals, or unresolved grievances. Jess's journey is both personal and collective, as she must reckon with the legacy of her ancestors while forging her own path.

Therapy as Narrative Frame

Jess's therapy sessions, both in-person and online, provide a running commentary on her emotional growth. Each therapist offers a new perspective, pushing Jess to confront uncomfortable truths, challenge old patterns, and articulate her desires. The act of journaling and self-reflection becomes a tool for transformation, and the novel's structure mirrors the process of therapy: cycles of insight, regression, and breakthrough.

Dual Settings: New Jersey and Italy

The novel moves between the familiar, insular world of Lake Como, New Jersey, and the luminous, expansive setting of Carrara, Italy. Each place offers both comfort and challenge, and Jess's movement between them mirrors her internal journey from dependence to autonomy, from tradition to innovation.

Food, Art, and Craft as Metaphor

Meals, marble, and artistic creation are recurring motifs, symbolizing nourishment, permanence, and the possibility of shaping one's own life. The process of making—whether it's rolling pasta, gilding stone, or drafting blueprints—becomes a metaphor for self-invention and the blending of old and new.

Secrets and Revelations

The plot is propelled by secrets: financial improprieties, lost love, hidden parentage, and unspoken resentments. The gradual unveiling of these truths forces characters to confront the consequences of silence and the necessity of honesty. The act of telling—whether in therapy, at the dinner table, or in a letter—becomes an act of liberation.

Foreshadowing and Circular Structure

Early scenes—Jess's self-portrait, her dream of Italy, her family's Sunday dinners—are echoed and transformed by the novel's end. The story comes full circle, with Jess returning home changed, able to see her family and herself with new eyes. The view from Lake Como, once a symbol of longing, becomes a vantage point of peace and fulfillment.

Analysis

Adriana Trigiani's The View From Lake Como is a luminous, deeply felt exploration of family, identity, and the courage it takes to claim one's own life. Through Jess Baratta's journey from self-effacing caretaker to self-possessed creator, the novel interrogates the costs and comforts of tradition, the necessity of honesty, and the redemptive power of forgiveness. Trigiani's gift lies in her ability to render the textures of everyday life—food, work, ritual—with both humor and gravity, grounding her characters' emotional struggles in the sensory richness of Italian and Italian American culture. The book's modern relevance is clear: in an age of anxiety, divided loyalties, and shifting roles, Jess's story offers a roadmap for healing—one that honors the past without being bound by it, and that finds joy not in perfection, but in the messy, beautiful work of building a life. The ultimate lesson is that happiness is not a destination, but a practice: a willingness to see, to forgive, and to begin again, wherever you are.

Last updated: July 18, 2025