Viola Ardone's Novel 'Oliva Denaro' Tells a Story of Defiance in 1960s Sicily

Viola Ardone's novel 'Oliva Denaro' (Einaudi, Stile libero, 2021) is set in 1960s Sicily and follows fifteen-year-old Oliva, who grows up hearing the saying 'a woman is a pitcher, whoever breaks it takes it.' As she approaches menstruation and marriageability, she resists the sacrifices expected of her: no more running, playing with her friend Saro, walking alone, or studying. After being abused on her sixteenth birthday by a young man she thought she liked, Oliva initially blames herself, but ultimately refuses the 'remedy' of marriage. Her father Salvo supports her 'no,' embodying the men who stood by women who defied societal norms. The novel highlights the cultural shift that led to the 1981 abolition of Italy's 'reparatory marriage' and 'honor crime' laws (articles 544 and 587 of the Penal Code). Ardone emphasizes that while one woman can be singular, together women can make history, and being born a woman is not a condemnation.