Between Canada and Italy; or, lives and identities in transition: A reading of Where She Has Gone by Nino Ricci

This article focuses on the third novel of Nino Ricci's trilogy about Italian immigration in Canada. More precisely, taking my cue from the theme of nostos in the sense of a search for a fully-fledged identity, I will analyse the way that Where She Has Gone dramatizes the protagonist's predicament in terms of personal conflicts, psychological trauma and sexual ambiguities. Vittorio Innocente is a hero whose life seems to be split between Canada and Italy: this is at the origin of his personal crisis which is characterized by a deeply ingrained sense of peril. In many respects, the main point of the story is represented by the protagonist's return to Italy where he intends to meet all those people who knew him. In fact, he left for Canada as an eight-year-old boy with his pregnant mother who died during the journey after giving birth to a daughter named Rita. While living in Toronto, Vittorio has an incestuous relationship with his younger half-sister Rita, who was the fruit of their mother's adultery in Valle del Sole (Molise). The most dramatic moment of the diegesis takes place when Vittorio meets Rita in Valle del Sole as both are returning from Canada by different routes. Significantly, by looking into their mother's past, they both decide to give up their tormented relationship. The protagonist's journey back to his native village can be seen not only as that of an intellectual in search of his own roots but also as a compelling wish to meet, after many years, his own historic and socio-cultural past in order to better understand his unresolved life as well as his role in Canadian society.

Automated summary

This article focuses on the third novel of Nino Ricci's trilogy, which explores Italian immigration in Canada. The protagonist, Vittorio Innocente, experiences personal conflicts, psychological trauma, and sexual ambiguities as he searches for his identity. The story centers around Vittorio's return to Italy to meet people who knew him and his incestuous relationship with his half-sister, Rita. Through exploring their mother's past, they decide to end their troubled relationship. The article highlights the protagonist's journey as an intellectual's search for his roots and his attempt to understand his unresolved life and role in Canadian society.