Book excerpt: “A moving evocation of the Italian-American experience, told with grace, compassion, and uncompromising honesty” from the author of A Kiss from Maddalena (Tom Perrotta, New York Times–bestselling author of The Leftovers). It’s 1953 in the tight-knit Italian neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware. Maddalena Grasso has lost her country, her family, and the man she loved by coming to America; her mercurial husband, Antonio, has lost his opportunity to realize the American Dream; their new friend, Giulio Fabbri, a shy accordion player, has lost his beloved parents. In the shadow of St. Anthony’s Church, named for the patron saint of lost things, the prayers of these troubled but determined people are heard, and fate and circumstances conspire to answer them in unforeseeable ways. With great authenticity and immediacy, The Saint of Lost Things evokes a bittersweet time in which the world seemed more intimate and knowable, and the American Dream was simpler, nobler, and within reach. “Beautifully, and movingly, Castellani shows an uncanny empathy for the American immigrant experience.” —Julia Glass, National Book Award–winning author of Three Junes “A lovely novel filled with characters so fully realized that they . . . leave the fog of their breath on the page.” —Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of Butterflies “Those who appreciate clear-eyed, unsentimental fiction will find its realism fresh and moving.” —Kirkus Reviews