One Italian Summer

This section focuses on the development of Katy’s relationship with Adam and hence the secondary conflict regarding Katy’s marriage with Eric. Katy continues to grapple with her guilt for leaving Eric behind and wanting to explore her desire for Adam. When Katy thinks back to Eric’s absence during his work trip, she begins to grapple with her love for Eric and desire to be alone: “I had missed having that much time to myself, or rather, I’d never had it […] I remember thinking it was one of the happiest weeks I’d had” (129). Questioning what that means for her marriage, Katy’s conflicted emotions surfaced well before her mother’s sickness. She has desired space and time to herself for years, and the trip to Positano allows her to begin to truly face these thoughts and emotions, emphasizing the theme of The Discovery of Identity Through Traveling.

Serle continues to emphasize the magical temporal features that Katy perceives in Italy to reinforce the novel’s elements of fabulism. During her romantic evening with Adam in Chapter 18, the Italian architecture reminds Katy about the peaceful timelessness of the scenery: “The magic of Italy seems to be in its ability to connect to some time out of time, some era that is unmarked by modernity” (142). This observation implicitly refers to the fabulist inclusion of the young Carol connecting “out of time” with Katy. This reflects the fact that Katy does not feel trapped within the bounds of time, contradicting how she views life in California. Time begins to play a larger role in how Katy views Positano. After her hike with Adam, she thinks: “Everything is longer in Positano. Even time” (153). Back home, Eric and Katy argue over if they are old enough to have children, but, in Italy, Katy has the freedom to exist within a timeless atmosphere and only has to worry about herself.

These temporal elements of the Italian setting are reinforced during the trip to Naples. The trip provides Katy with a reflection on how history, memory, and time function together. Even though she did not originally like the city, she begins to understand Adam’s attraction for it. Looking at the architecture, she thinks: “New and old, rich and ruined, history in its entirety here at once. It’s a place that was once glorious and carries the memory not as a chip, but a promise. Again, someday” (169). The city also reflects Katy’s character development. The more she comes to terms with her mother’s death and begins to develop her identity independent from her parents and her marriage, Katy defines her own history and place in the world. The longer Katy experiences life on her own, the more she develops a sense of identity. In this moment, the possibility that Katy sees in Naples represents her own possibility to take control of her life.

Throughout these chapters, young Carol hardly makes an appearance. Without her around, Serle portrays Katy acting on her own without the influence or comfort of her mother for the first time. During her trip to Capri with Adam, Katy reflects on how little she has explored the world: “My whole life has taken place in a ten-mile radius. I’ve been resistant to change, too. To letting someone change me” (161). In California, not only does time constrict Katy, but also the physical space in which she exists does. Living within the bounds of Eric and her parents, Katy restricts herself to a small group of people, being willfully isolated from anyone else, such as Andrea. Italy physically provides space between Katy and her home. Serle uses Katy’s observations regarding space and distance to further develop the theme of The Discovery of Identity Through Traveling.

Katy also gets a look at how grief plays a role in other people’s lives. Adam’s story about his sister’s death and the fear he has for getting close to people relates to the theme of Grief as Synonymous With Love. He tells Katy: “It’s the suffering that scares me. The way I might feel about someone else’s losses” (168). This speech epitomizes the sense throughout the novel that love and grief are intertwined. Serle also uses Adam’s confession to develop the romantic subplot. Katy connects to Adam’s sincerity and view about grief. This moment brings them closer together. Adam helps to transform her worldview. Whereas Katy struggles to connect with Eric’s grief about losing Carol, she can take a step back and see how grief affects people in different ways through Adam. Serle hence uses secondary characters to drive Katy’s character development; not only does Italy give Katy mental clarity, but her exposure to new people does as well.