I leaned back from you, to look in your face. I touched your eyebrow. âI love your eyebrows, Nio, did I tell you that?' I put my fingers on your jaw and turned you slightly so you had to look at me, too. âDon't you understand? Nothing will make me stop loving you.'
You and I looked into each other's eyes.
Your son is alive, Nio. I carry all your joy for you. You taught me how to love someone more than myself. I think I taught you, too.
First published 2005 by University of Queensland Press
PO Box 6042, St Lucia, Queensland 4067 Australia
Reprinted 2005 (four times)
© Joanne Carroll 2005
This book is copyright. Except for private study, research, criticism or reviews, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.
Typeset in 11/13. 5 pt Bembo by Post Pre-Press Group, Brisbane, Queensland
Printed in Australia by McPherson's Printing Group
This project has been assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Cataloguing in Publishing Data
National Library of Australia
Carroll, Joanne, 1951â.
The Italian romance.
1. Prisoners of war â Italy â Fiction. 2. Prisoners of war â Australia â Fiction. 3. World War, 1939â1945 â Social aspects â Australia â Fiction. 4. Man-woman relationships â Fiction. 5. Italy â Fiction. I. Title.
A823. 3
ISBN 978 0 7022 3513 9 (pbk)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5201 3 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5202 0 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5203 7 (kindle)