Passaggio: From the Old World to the New - Paperback

In 1964, twenty-one-year-old Liliana reluctantly leaves her Italian village to join Carlo, her betrothed, in a remote Canadian mill town on the Pacific coast. Though she had dreamed of marrying in the church her father helped build after the war, she finds herself wed in a makeshift chapel, surrounded by strangers in a strange land.

As Liliana struggles to build a life in Cedar Ridge, she forms deep friendships with other immigrant wives, including the spirited Gina and Margie, her Canadian neighbour who helps her navigate this new world. But when tragedy strikes and long-held secrets emerge, Liliana must decide where she truly belongs.

Set against the backdrop of mid-century immigration and industrial development, "Passaggio" is an intimate portrait of a young woman caught between two worlds. This moving debut novel explores themes of love, loyalty, and identity as Liliana grapples with questions of home and belonging. Through vivid details and rich characterization, author Cynthia Sguazzin crafts a compelling story about the price of following one's heart and the complex bonds that define family.

In masterful prose that brings to life both the sun-drenched Italian countryside and the misty Pacific Northwest, "Passaggio" reminds us that the journey between old world and new is as much emotional as physical-and that sometimes finding home means letting go of who we thought we were meant to be.