Eloquent, enticing, and genuine, Mark Sullivan’s novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky beautifully encapsulates the hardships of a young Italian boy with a war bestowed upon him. Pino Lella, a 17 year old from Milan dreams of a normal life, but when his town is bombed, everything he ever wanted is stripped away. With the war nearing its end and the Nazis getting desperate, Pino’s parents forcefully enlist him into a safer division of the German army to avoid the battlefront. Coming home with casualties, Pino is confronted by General Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most powerful commanders, who recruits Pino as his personal driver. The story continues as Pino’s safety is treaded as he attempts to balance his morality with his survival, all-the-while…show more content… It was suspenseful, enticing, and consistently surprising. I loved how the author kept introducing new story lines so the book was not simply linear. For example, instead of jumping into the General Leyers plot, he took the time to develop Pino’s character at a school in Madesimo. During this time, Pino navigates through the terrain, sneaking Italian Jews into Switzerland which made the story more realistic, as it showed how Pino became desensitized to the fear of Germans, it illustrated where his skills originated from, and it reinforced Pino’s morality. Secondly, the author is very meticulous with the story, keenly describing the environment and using continuality to ensure that each scene meant something. Small details that flowed subtly throughout the novel were later expressed and became significant, for example when Pino does not go to the General’s home causing complications with the maid and mistress, to say the least. Lastly, the meaning of the story was very special. Unlike other books that conclude with a happy or sad ending that conveys a clear message, Beneath a Scarlet Sky closes in a somewhat unconventional way. The ending is just raw; it leaves you just questioning everything and conflicted about life. To explain, when readers finally think everything is going to turn out fine and that life will prosper for the hero of the story, the author just shuts it down. He destroys the romance and love interest, he kills more friends and
