We, the Casertas

This mesmerizing 1992 novel from Venturini (Cousins), who died in 2015, traces a brilliant and unruly woman’s childhood isolation, youthful adventures, and devastating heartbreak. At four years old, Chela Stradolini is regularly sent by her pregnant mother to the attic of their Buenos Aires home, where she spends much of her time when she’s not roaming the property with her only friend, an owl. After her brother is born with dwarfism, he joins her in the attic and she takes care of him. By the time she’s 20, everyone in her immediate family has died, and she begins an affair with the much older Luis, with whom she falls deeply in love. She’s devastated when he refuses to get a divorce and commit to her, prompting her to travel, first to Chile, where she writes literary criticism and meets Pablo Neruda. She impresses the celebrated poet with a piece on his work but stops herself from falling for him, having “inoculated [herself] against love.” In Italy, she’s taken in by her great-aunt, who becomes her lover before her macabre return to the attic in Argentina. Full of unexpected turns and darkly haunting imagery, this gothic tale is worthy of its resurrection. Agent: Sandra Perja, Massie & McQuilkin Literary. (May)