A new novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, “The Italian,” takes place in 1942 and 1943 and is based on real events. It tells of an episode of war and espionage that occurred during World War II in Gibraltar and the Bay of Algeciras.
The Italian tells an astonishing story of love, the sea, and war. In 1942 and 1943, during World War II, Italian combat divers sank or damaged fourteen Allied ships in Gibraltar and the Bay of Algeciras. In this novel, inspired by real events, only some characters and situations are fictional. Elena Arbués, a twenty-seven-year-old bookseller, one morning meets one of these divers while walking along the beach—and he disappears between sand and water. By helping him, the young woman ignores the fact that her determination will change her life and that love will be only a part of a dangerous adventure.