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.
Article comments
1 - jake
you do know that is the wrong cover???
2 - Takiela
Yes, I am aware. Antonio's Seed is not available through Amazon and because of that I have specific rules that I have to follow in these types of situations. However, if you want to purchase the book or visit the website the link is provided. Click on the first two words at the beginning of the review ; )