Heddi Goodrich

'See Naples and die.' To Heddi those words ring true. There is nothing more heartbreakingly beautiful than this city built on Roman ruins and set against a sleeping volcano. Despite years of navigating the narrow, winding streets of Naples's Spanish Quarter, the city never fails to instill in her the pain of longing, a desire to belong. A place she wants to call home despite being l'americano or the American. For Heddi's group of university friends, Naples is either a refuge from their familial responsibilities or an entryway to a wider world. But for all of them, Naples is a place they'll never forget: the setting of their unrestrained youth. Heddi's days of shuttling between her classes and the crumbling apartment she shares with her rambunctious friends are interrupted when she unexpectedly meets a fellow student named Pietro. The two immediately fall into a whirlwind romance, moving in together, enjoying every minute of their precious present, and dreaming of their futures. Yet just as they're about to take the next step in their love story, the overwhelming pressure of tradition and familial obligation threatens to break them apart. In this coming-of-age tale about first love--love of a place, love of a person-- languages and cultures collide while dreams take off and crash in spectacular ways"--