A new historical novel by Italian American author Cheryl A. Ossola explores the struggles, sacrifices, and resilience of Italian immigrants who helped build America's granite industry in the early 20th century. How Long a Shadow, published by Cennan Books, an imprint of Cynren Press, will be released on November 17, 2026.
Set in 1903 in Barre, Vermont, the novel follows 20-year-old Rosina Bottinelli, a young Italian immigrant determined to build an independent future beyond traditional expectations of marriage and family life. As her father and brothers work in the dangerous granite sheds, Rosina abandons her artistic ambitions to pursue midwifery, discovering both the responsibilities and the possibilities of women's work.
The story unfolds against a backdrop of labor strikes, political divisions, and the devastating occupational lung disease known as mal d'america, which afflicted immigrant stonecutters. Tensions between Rosina's union-supporting father and his capitalist brother reflect the broader conflicts within a community struggling to reconcile economic opportunity with workers' rights and human dignity.
Ossola brings a personal connection to this history. A second-generation Italian American and descendant of the stonecutters who helped shape Barre's granite industry, she draws on her family heritage to explore immigration, labor, art, and women's independence.
The author previously published The Wild Impossibility in 2019 and holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco. She currently writes from a hilltop town in Umbria, Italy.
The 290-page novel has already attracted praise from several writers for its historical detail and portrayal of Italian American immigrant life.
How Long a Shadow will be available in paperback for $19.95 (ISBN 978-1-970676-08-2) and as an ebook for $9.99 (ISBN 978-1-970676-09-9).
