Sparrow

Set against the backdrop of Catania, Sicily, during the Italian Risorgimento, the narrative follows Maria, a young woman constrained by societal and economic pressures that lead her to a convent. Her fleeting romance with a neighbor's son, sparked during a cholera outbreak, is short-lived, plunging her into a cycle of despair. The story explores themes of unfulfilled love, mental decline, and the harsh realities faced by women of the era, ultimately leading to Maria's tragic fate.