The Night of Ustica

Novel, p. 352, Albas Publishing In The Night of Ustica, Petro Marko transports readers to the harrowing world of a prison camp during World War II, based on his own experiences. After returning from the Spanish Civil War in 1940, Marko was arrested by the Italian occupiers and interned with over 600 prisoners from the Balkans on the infamous Ustica Island, off the coast of Sicily. This powerful novel, spanning 380 pages, chronicles the lives of these prisoners as they endure the brutality of fascist oppression, resist terror, and form unexpected bonds in the midst of their suffering. Marko’s narrative unfolds along two parallel lines: the first, depicting the organized resistance of the prisoners against the violent forces that seek to break them, and the second, the tender yet forbidden love between Andrea, an Albanian soldier, and Sonja, a captured Slavic woman. The novel’s emotionally charged portrayal of love in a time of despair not only challenges the oppressive political regimes of the time but also breaks taboos regarding gender and interethnic relationships, offering a bold and humanistic view of a war-torn world.