Beneath A Scarlet Sky

Beneath a Scarlet Sky
By: Mark T. Sullivan

A story of courage, espionage, love, and loss.

The quality of this book, to me, is not dependent on which details were fabricated and which combination of scenarios is most plausible. Pino Lella is a real person and this story is, at least in part, his, and even if only half of it is true, it is still worthy of being known. What I liked about this story, was first that it is a true story, but second that it takes place in northern Italy. Somehow I am still finding WWII books with something I haven't read about before.

I love hearing stories of how people risked their lives to help save others. The added element of Mussolini was interesting too. We mostly just hear about Hitler. Some of the details used in describing Pino's climbing ventures and driving excursions were at times hard to follow but glossing over them a bit did not take away from the story. If I actually knew the metric system, it would have been easier to picture everything- thanks America.

I thought the story was very captivating and heart-wrenching. Being told completely from Pino's point of view forces you to find things out as he finds them out. You don't get to know what's going on with Anna or his family or Father Re- their thoughts or actions- unless Pino is seeing them or hearing them. It generates a bit of mystery and supports the authenticity of the story. And the strict chronological narrative helps us grasp the fluctuations of Pino's emotions, the ups and downs from event to event.

The writing voice creates a bit of romanticism that almost feels a little out of place BUT you don't really care because you want to see something beautiful come out of something so horrific. Pino was a musician, an artist. I think that shows through in his memories. He witnessed atrocities to be sure, but it's all kind of filtered through a two-fold emotional lens- love-sickness and sorrow. He is clinging on to the hope of love, the one thing that makes him feel alive when everything else is dying, and yet he is struggling with his confrontations with humanity's depravity. How are people capable of committing such acts? It really forces you to evaluate your worldview- what is real? what is the purpose? to what end?

Beneath a Scarlet Sky rightly exposes the depravity of mankind. WWII showcases the evils we are capable of, but we are not without hope. We see we are in need of saving. We see that we cannot save ourselves. We don't have to muster up enough courage or goodness or justice within ourselves. We just need Jesus. I don't know if Pino found Him, but as a reader, his story naturally leads us to search for something more- a way to understand what we do with the evils we encounter, the unthinkable personal affronts. A way to overcome. And by the grace of God, we can.

Thank you, Pino, for finally sharing your story.