The Gilder

October 24, 2011
When Marina fulfills her dream of visiting Florence at 22, she meets Sarah and Thomas. Thomas is a superb photographer for whom Sarah has abandoned her own artistic dreams. Marina is drawn inexplicably to Sarah, realizing to her surprise that her feelings go beyond friendship (she’s never felt like this about a woman before). But it’s Thomas who, one drunken night, Marina finally sleeps with, becoming pregnant and fleeing back home. She becomes the titular artisan and spends the next 15 years lying to her daughter, Zoe, about her father’s later death—and lying to Sarah by omission. But Zoe discovers some photos that force Marina to come clean, and compel her, when she returns to Florence for a conference, to finally tell Sarah the truth. Once there however, Sarah reveals to Marina that Thomas’s death was not an accident, thickening the plot. Kay has created a fascinating tale, featuring a protagonist like so many wide-eyed expatriates before her, quickly seduced by Florence and the quintessential bohemian couple in Thomas and Sarah. But by focusing on the same-sex romance, Kay twists her tale in refreshing ways, creating a story about deep female relationships, portrayed in all their complexity and nuance.