Antonio's Seed is based on a true story. Merry Watson created a tale that has the ability to cause the reader to feel the fear caused by the antagonist of her novel, Antonio. Antonio came to Australia from Italy, bitter and angry under the false pretense that his first love found another man. An unassuming and naïve Australian girl named Ruth falls in love with Antonio. Blinded by his Italian la bella figura, (which roughly translates to "beautiful image"), she is senseless to the warning signs of his abusive nature.

Antonio has great resentment towards Ruth, subjecting her and their children to obloquy and derision. Over the years, Antonio grows more bitter. He explodes with fits of anger and bouts of rage without warning, causing his wife and children to walk on pins and needles in his presence.

In one scene, Antonio asks his daughter Natalie, who is about 12 at the time, to fix lunch. Antonio always demands that his food, especially his pasta, be cooked to perfection. Needless to say Natalie is paralyzed with fear and knows the consequences of an imperfect meal. Antonio tastes his frightened daughter's attempt at making an Italian meal from scratch. The silence is gruesome as the rest of the family sit around the table awaiting Antonio's predictable disapproval. Everyone's stomach aches with agony at the thought of the severity of the inevitable punishment. A family in terror, indeed.

Some of the scenarios in this book will leave the heart feeling heavy as the author pulls the reader into each dismal scene. For instance, Antonio's sons dread getting haircuts. Their father slaps them and yells obscenities at them for not holding still. In another scene, Natalie brings home a litter of kittens with her father's vague approval. However with every moment of rage, Antonio takes the life of a kitten until there are no more, draining every ounce of joy from his children's eyes through each tear they shed for the loss of a cuddly playmate they'd grown to love.

Engaging the reader with each morbid fit of terror and producing fear in the beholder, this story kept me in its grip until its unpredictable end - an ending that left me wanting more. I am relieved to know that the sequel is on the horizon.

Watson has depicted emotions with such detail that one might wonder how closely the story relates to her. She and the eldest daughter Natalie have subtle similarities. For example, the book ends with Natalie's career being an actress, and named among Watson's varied careers, actress is at the top of her list.

Watson currently resides in Australia, where the story takes place, and the timeline would put Watson and Natalie at about the same age. Throughout the book there are several faint indicators that could lead one to believe that this may be her story.