SIRACUSA by Delia Ephron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two couples, both with rocky marriages, travel to Rome and Siracusa on a joint vacation. Michael and Lizzie live in New York City, while Finn and Taylor hail from Portland, Maine. There’s also a 5th wheel on their Italian holiday – Snow, 10-year old daughter of Finn and Taylor, and a child I can only describe as peculiar. Actually, the whole group is odd, and downright unlikable, yet I couldn’t put this book down. Lots of secrets, lies, and betrayal, and as each of these characters tells his or her side of the story, you have to wonder who’s reliable and what it is all leading up to. There was always an ominous feeling that something bad was just around the corner. This was my first Delia Ephron novel, and I enjoyed her writing style very much. Complex, messed up characters and a nice build up of tension.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Penguin’s First to Read Program.