Goodreads
Goodreads asked Terri Favro:

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

Terri Favro I have a family story that remains a mystery I plan to explore in a book. When I was 17, my father told me a story about a young Italian cousin named Vigio. In 1929, he came to Canada and lived with my Dad and his parents for a while on a farm in the Niagara area. Vigio would have been about 17 himself at this time; my Dad was 9. Vigio and Dad developed a close relationship. Finally my grandfather sent Vigio off to Toronto to work in a hotel. About two months later, Vigio unexpectedly returned to my grandparents' house. He was completely traumatized -- so much so that any time he saw male strangers, he panicked, at one point crashing through the window of the house and running through the snow barefoot in his pajamas...my father described seeing Vigio's bloody footprints appearing against the white snow while my grandfather went in pursuit. Eventually he was sent home to Italy. After WWII broke out, the village was home to a lot of partisan activity and was occupied by German troops. Vigio was shot by them one day when he started running at a command to halt: when the soldier saw Vigio's face he began to weep and threw down his gun, shouting "Why did you run?" A German soldier hanged himself in that village a short time later: not sure if it was the same one. Mystery: What happened to Vigio in Toronto? Why was he shot, and what did the soldier seem so grief-stricken? Did Vigio and the soldier who killed him know one another?

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more