Another random bookstore find, as so many good books in my life are. It’s why I trawl through my favorite sections! A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary, 1939-1940 is what the title conveys. Iris Origo was an American born woman married to an Italian man (although she spent most of her life in Italy from childhood) and this is her diary of 1939-1940 as Italy slowly descends into war. Origo was a woman from a highly privileged background — her godfather was the American ambassador to Italy — so it’s interesting getting to see the preparations for war from the perspective of someone connected to the international political community. At the same time, she and her husband lived in a remote valley where they were working to improve the land and the living conditions of the peasantry, so we also get to see what the local people thought of Mussolini and world events.
It’s a life lived in between two worlds, and I think there is a sense of remove and chill here that works to good effect. Origo is not very present in the narrative even though it is her diary, as this is more of a series of very well noticed events and vignettes, mainly focusing on the portrayal of her following what was happening via newspapers, radio, and discussion. Her pregnancy only makes its appearance in the book in its final month, which was a bit of a surprise. However, she is also supremely present because only her strong eye for event and narrative could have produced this. I think she does an amazing job of portraying how a nation under a totalitarian leader can march headlong to its doom despite so many people she talks to not wanting to go to war. The details about what life is like under such a government, especially the propaganda elements, were hitting a bit too close to home but that’s also why I read this sort of book, to see what feels similarly and differently from where I am today.
Definitely recommended if you like this subject area!