Iron Butterfly - (Mezzogiorno Trilogy) by Andrew Eustace Anselmi (Paperback)

About the Book

Iron Butterfly recounts the upwardly mobile odyssey of a fictional New American family in the 1980.

Book Synopsis

It is the summer of 1982, just before the fall. The political campaign ad of It's Morning in America has not yet aired, but the present era of cultural hedonism has already dawned. Against this backdrop, Edward Bennett is the All-American son of a mother who emigrated from Italy and a first-generation Italian American father. Edward has it all: good looks, pedigree, and the financial fruits of his father's business empire. As he readies for his junior year abroad in London, however, something feels amiss. He does not understand the overprotectiveness of his mother, Marie. He vows to solve the puzzle by finding her native town in southern Italy that she herself has refused to revisit. Ultimately, the journey triggers Marie's suppressed memory of her cruel beginning, which she and her family can either confront or continue to deny.

Iron Butterfly is the second installment of The Mezzogiorno Trilogy. The series recounts the upwardly mobile odyssey of a fictional New American family in the 1980s, the Bennetts. Iron Butterfly precedes in its entirety the already critically acclaimed The Autumn Crush, the saga of the arraignment and capital murder trial of Edward's father, due to be re-released in 2022. The third in the trilogy, Sarapiquí, will be launched in 2023, telling the story of how in the wake of his father's trial, Edward inherits a cattle ranch in the rainforests of Costa Rica where he struggles with his fidelity and his faith.

As a postscript to Iron Butterfly, the reader is treated to a third-party commentary that psychoanalyzes what the work reveals about the author.

Review Quotes

"Pulsing with feeling, haunted by the past, Anselmi's novel-the second in a trilogy charting one Italian-American family's journey in the 1980s U.S.-finds a young man confronting the mysteries of his immigrant mother's youth.... The crisp, often lyric prose...tells the story with swiftness and power while always suggesting deeper meanings. Here's rich, resonant fiction written with a welcome sense of play."

―BookLife Reviews

"Iron Butterfly is an affecting drama about love and family. The family dynamics are well written and relatable as personified by the Bennett Clan. Anselmi writes with a keen grasp of his character's emotions.... An emotionally satisfying and overall enjoyable read." ―San Francisco Book Review (4.5 out of 5 Star Rating)

"Searching for the past, even though it might lead to discovering unexpected events and emotions, is something all families can relate to on some level.... [Anselmi] create[s] lively dialogues between family members in this tale. It sometimes felt like I was sitting at a kitchen table with people I knew.... I enjoyed the Bennett family's journey into the past, and this book did more than enough to make me interested in the books that are to follow in this trilogy." ― Manhattan Book Review (4 out of 5 Star Rating)

Praise for THE AUTUMN CRUSH, to be re-released in 2022

"For his debut, Anselmi has written an ambitious and downright old-fashioned novel." - Kirkus Reviews

"An epic story of pursuing the great American Dream... Rich character development and lots of surprises kept me flipping the pages as fast as my eyes could read them." - Luxury Reading

"In a dramatic novel exploring the cost of assimilation ... Anselmi explores grand themes of family, loyalty, wealth, and devotion in a promising plot that reveals the hardships and triumphs of twentieth-century immigrants." -Clarion Review

"Anselmi's ongoing commentary on racism ... may make readers cringe, but it's a realistic reflection of multicultural America." -BlueInk Reviews