Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan


                One thing I love about people knowing I am an avid reader is that they always think of me when they are reading and they suggest books to me. One of my coworkers had mentioned this book to me stating “It’s about this guy who was helping Jews escape from Italy during World War II and he ends up joining the German army, becoming a driver for this General and then becoming an Ally spy.” I was sold. She brought me her copy of the book before she even had a chance to read the whole thing. I began reading the book and was immediately captivated by the story of a man I had never heard of before. Pino Lella was only seventeen years old when he began helping Jews escape into Switzerland. It was days before he turned eighteen that he joined the German army, at the urging of his parents who feared for his safety. After being injured, he had a chance encounter with General Leyers and became his driver. He then began relaying information to his uncle who was an active part of the resistance. His story isn’t one that many knew, but the information he provided was vital to the movement of the Allies.
                This isn’t a biography of Lella. Sullivan made multiple trips to visit and interview Lella, researched extensively about the sequence of events that happened during this story from 1943-1945, but he takes artistic license with this story. It is a historical fiction novel about Lella’s life and is extremely engrossing. It’s easy to get a sense of the life Lella lived. The bravery he had to have in order to risk his young life for a cause he adamantly believed in is inspiring. The ridicule he experienced while wearing a swastika armband even though he was working as a spy relaying information to the allies, was almost too much for him to endure. Many people, including his own brother, considered him a traitor. But for his brothers and his family’s safety he refused to reveal the truth, taking the judgement and the criticism, knowing he was fighting on the right side of history. The horrors he saw and endured for months on end would haunt him for the rest of his life.
               Sullivan’s telling of this story was incredible. He brought this history to life and honored Lella with his depiction. Every character in this story felt real and every atrocity was horrifying. We live in a world where these things happened and confronting that history is the only way to honestly remember those who fought and put their lives at risk. Lella’s story needed to be shared. The story of the war in Italy isn’t one that I’m familiar with so learning of the actions that took place during that time was enlightening and disturbing. I gave this novel 5 out of 5 stars. Lella’s legacy is honored and recognized within these pages. 

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