Talking Location With … Bernadette Bernson: WHITBY
Novel set in CASERTA, CAMPANIA (and LONDON)
26th October 2026
Dutiful Daughters by Olga Campofreda, novel set in Caserta, Campania (and London).
TR: Jennifer Panek
Clara is back in her home town of Caserta, Campania (not far from Naples), to celebrate the marriage of school friend, Rossella.
The story is a rumination on her childhood in Italy and a reflection of the mores and values of small town society. Depressingly, she feels that women’s actions, deeply rooted in traditional culture, are “..censored deep down by the rules of men…”.
Her other life is in London, where she has the freedom to explore Tinder dates. She has a loose arrangement with Tomás but it doesn’t prove very satisfying.
Once Clara discovers Simone de Beauvoir, she never feels the same (and the title – according to the translator – is a play on the title of de Beauvoir’s autobiography). Like the great author, Clara has felt plagued by “the rituals and moral pretension of my social class, the artifice and the facades, completely insufferable..”
This is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that dives into societal norms of the area, exploring friendships and secrets that have influenced the characters. There is a sense of melancholy as events unfold, which, like a light mist, never really lifts, all the while adding to the poignancy of the story.
At one point Clara discovers a letter addressed to herself and in it she discovers more about mutual childhood and teenager history, and this feels very much like a device to disseminate necessary information to build the story and offering understanding for characters’ actions.
Otherwise, this novel feels like a real treat to enter this particular Italian world and savour the interactions and events that beset the community. It is beautifully translated by Jennifer Panek. The novel beautifully transports the reader to Italy.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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