One Italian Summer

Throughout the novel, Serle uses Katy Silver and Carol Silver’s parallel narratives to establish the novel’s primary conflict: Katy’s identity is inextricable from Carol. Serle hence explores the complexities of close mother-daughter relationships. Katy and Carol rely on each other heavily and spend most of their time together. Katy views Carol as a wife and mother first and as an individual second. She idealizes her mother, who is an image of perfection. Katy identifies herself as adjacent to her mother. Carol does the same. Katy says that their love “was truer, purer, than” (7) the love Carol had for Chuck. Serle uses the language of romantic relationship when writing about Carol and Katy to imply an intimate bond that runs deeper than any of their other relationships. They both prioritize the other over everyone else, including themselves. Katy does not know who she is outside of their relationship, and neither does Carol. The novel illustrates the intensity of this dynamic and how it can be both influential and harmful.

As an adult, Katy, who moved across the country to live next to her parents, has her own room at her parents’ house with a bathroom filled with a second set of toiletries for when she wants to spend the night.