One Italian Summer

The majority of the novel takes place in Positano, Italy, which symbolizes opportunity for many of the characters. According to Marco, the city “is a good place to let life return to you” (49), and the characters utilize its beauty and serenity to further their own situations in life depending on their needs.

Positano represents a clean slate for Katy Silver and other characters like Adam Westbrooke and Carol Silver because of the way Serle portrays its unique temporality. The city provides an opportunity to explore one’s desires and needs as these characters attempt to reconcile with their past and move toward the future. The timelessness of the city, which aids in Katy’s inability to realize that she has traveled back to 1992, creates a peaceful, liminal space that promotes development for its inhabitants. Serle depicts that “[m]orning in Positano is reminiscent of the evening” (37). Not only is the architecture timeless, but time also flows in a magically cyclic way within the city. Katy seemingly travels back in time on her journey to Positano, and the descriptions of the city make this appear plausible in line with the conventions of fabulism.