Missing Puzzles - A Novel by Maria Teresa De Donato - Review by Elisa Rubini

 

Missing Puzzles - A Novel by Maria Teresa De Donato

Review by Elisa Rubini

 

Some books surprise you because they speak to you, even when they recount lives you've never known. Missing Puzzles: Understanding Who We Are Through the Lives of Our Ancestors by Maria Teresa De Donato is one of them. It's not just an autobiographical novel; it's an emotional and cultural journey into the roots of a family, into the origins of an identity that spans centuries, historical events, wars, and rebirths.

How many times have you wondered who you really are, where your character comes from, or why you have that stubbornness and that nostalgia that sometimes overtakes you suddenly? Maria Teresa De Donato found the answers by delving into the history of her ancestors, in a meticulous genealogical research that also became an inner discovery. And she decided to share it with us, making us participants in a family saga that speaks, ultimately, of every family.

From the first pages, you realize you're not just reading a story, but living an experience. You're immersed in memories, anecdotes, and documents that reveal the faces, gestures, and destinies of those who came before her. Every person we meet leaves an imprint. They are men and women who faced invasions, poverty, world wars, and social change with a strength we no longer possess.

What's striking is the author's gratitude for every single legacy she's received. She speaks not only of material goods, but above all of traditions, lessons learned, and a cultural and emotional legacy passed down to her. Her ability to recognize love and beauty even in the most challenging moments, such as those that marked 20th-century Italy, between the countryside and the city, is almost moving.

 

Her story intertwines two major genealogical lines. On one side, her paternal line is linked to the House of Swabia and centuries of European history. On the other hand, her mother's probable Greek origins add a Mediterranean, sunny, almost poetic touch. This fusion of cultures, memories, and experiences becomes a mosaic that gives us not only a picture of her family but also a glimpse of our shared history.

While reading, you inevitably feel transported through time. The Middle Ages, with their harshness and charm, the barbarian invasions that reshaped Europe, and the 18th and 19th centuries, were rich in change and contradictions. Then the 20th century, with the two world wars that scarred the skin and hearts of millions of people, including the author's parents. Everything is narrated with care, never weighing down, but rather with the delicacy of someone who knows that every detail is an essential piece in understanding the complete picture.

And what emerges is precisely this beautiful picture of people and situations that tell the story of the Italy of the past. Authentic and straightforward gestures characterize small-town Italy, while metropolitan Italy is constantly evolving—a country that has known hunger and pain, but also solidarity, ingenuity, and resilience.

Maria Teresa De Donato's ability to intertwine grand history with small family stories is perhaps the book's greatest strength. There's never any rhetoric, but only a warm and sincere gaze, capable of restoring dignity even to those who have remained in the shadows. She doesn't just tell you who her ancestors were, but makes you reflect on yours. She pushes you to ask yourself what battles they fought, what dreams they had, and what wounds they left behind, all without you even realizing it.

As you read, the realization grows that our roots are not a burden, but a treasure. And that knowing the history of our ancestors is not an exercise in nostalgia, but an act of love towards ourselves. Understanding where we come from helps us make better choices about where to go.

The author's language is warm, enveloping, yet precise. You can sense the care with which she searched for documents, testimonies, and dates. And you can feel even more the heart with which she interpreted them. Every page is imbued with gratitude and respect, even for a past that, however harsh, allowed her to be the person she is today.

 

For those accustomed to living in a hurry, to thinking only of the present or the future, this book is a necessary pause. An invitation to look back, but not with regret. With gratitude. To understand that every step you take is made possible by those who came before. By those who suffered, loved, fought, and hoped for you, perhaps even unknowingly.

The most powerful thing about this book is its ability to create an emotional bridge between past and present. To make you feel part of a larger story, one that goes beyond your own small self. A story where every character is an indispensable link in a long chain.

And it's no coincidence that the title is Missing Puzzles. Because many of us live without realizing that we are the result of a remarkable intertwining, made up of thousands of lives that have made ours possible. And until we search for these links, the chain remains incomplete.

Reading leaves you with a sense of fulfillment and peace. With the desire to sit next to your mother or father, or to call that elderly relative you haven't heard from in a while, to have them tell you stories. Rediscover old letters, family memories, and recipes passed down. Because in those little things lies the answer to the biggest question: Who am I, really?

If you're looking for a book that goes beyond the surface, that speaks to your soul and helps you rediscover your roots and identity, Missing Puzzles is the right choice. It's not just the story of a family, it's the story of all of us. And within its pages, you might even find your own missing puzzle.