The Miracles of Santo Fico
By D.L. Smith

      "Have you ever watched a butterfly break its way out of its cocoon? Oh, it's a terrible struggle. It appears to be agony; maybe it is. Only the butterfly knows for sure. But one thing is certain; it's an exhausting struggle."
                                       --The Miracles of Santo Fico

      Struggle. If one word could be used to sum up the residents of Santo Fico, that would be it. And the constant struggles are what drove Leo Pizzola, Santo Fico's conniving prankster, to America only to return home after the death of his father. With the reappearance of Leo, the town's struggles increased tenfold, and it's up to Leo to fix them!

      Lost somewhere in Tuscany, Santo Fico lays claim to only two items of significance: The Miracle and The Mystery. When a devastating earthquake rumbles through town, The Miracle survives. But The Mystery "mysteriously" disappears, convincing Father Elio, the priest of Santo Fico, that he is being punished for a great sin he committed in his youth. Leo is given three days to create a "miracle" to restore the elderly priest's faith. And that is when the real fun begins.

      Inspirational. The one word that could be used to describe The Miracles of Santo Fico. This story is so well-written that it is hard to believe it is D.L. Smith's debut novel. Besides having a great story line, The Miracles of Santo Fico was written with amazing depth and highly developed characters. The combination of these elements resulted in a novel that is not only easy to read, but also difficult to put down! Smith's delicate balance of drama and comedy make the story well-rounded and the reading experience nearly perfect.

       As the citizens of Santo Fico struggle to restore their lives after the earthquake, real miracles do begin to happen—without the assistance of Leo Pizzola. But everyone is so busy looking for a big miracle that they overlook the small ones. Finally, The Mystery reappears—its disappearance no longer so "mysterious"—and Father Elio dies, knowing that God has forgiven his sin—which, once confessed, is not so "great" after all. And so The Miracles of Santo Fico ends, leaving the reader completely fulfilled. As a hard-to-please reader, I find that a miracle in itself.