Chapter 12: Mari — Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens on Monday, April 16, 1821, with news that pirates have landed in San Marco rather than Positano. They pillage a cluster of coastal villas, set fire to the piazza, destroy an ancient monument, and make off with casks of olive oil—but leave the women and children unharmed. The village celebrates its good fortune, and the streghe privately commend the three women who cursed the currents to divert the pirates.

In the interim, Corso has left for Rome without giving a return date. Mari finds the uncertainty unsettling, knowing that when he returns, he will very likely bring a ring.

Days later, Mari takes two young streghe—seventeen-year-old Pippa and young Lia—out for water instruction. She stops at Viviana's house to collect Pippa, then Ami's house for Lia. On the walk down, Lia complains about a pebble in her toe, but Mari, restless and agitated, ignores her—unusual behavior for her.

At the shore, Mari performs her usual ritual: tasting the water, scanning for threats. She notices the water trembling in her hands—unusual and unsettling. They board the gozzo, and Pippa demonstrates her skill with a butterfly loop knot. As they row, dolphins appear, and Mari feels a sense of safety with the pod nearby.

Lia spots an abandoned fishing net wrapped around a boulder—litter left by foreign mariners that ensnares entire schools of fish and wildlife. Mari and the girls remove it, and Mari reminds them that magic doesn't solve everything.

They enter a hidden grotto, a camouflaged cave with radiant sapphire water. Mari teaches about fish eggs hidden in algae, cold-water spells (incantesimo raffreddare) that create good breeding conditions, and the food chain—from invisible organisms to baby fish to larger predators to the village's dinner plates. She almost says our village, catching herself as she begins to feel like an outsider.

Lia begs Mari to perform a whirlpool display (incantesimo vortice). Mari reluctantly agrees, diving in and spinning the water. While underwater, she hears a muffled cough—a man's cough. She surfaces to find a drunk man with shoulder-length curly hair crouched on the limestone slope, ready to attack. Lia has vanished.

The man says they'll take good care of her in Naples. Mari realizes he's taken Lia. She sends Pippa back into the water, then lunges at the man, kicking him in the groin and belly. She drags him into the water and recites the incantesimo vortice, creating a whirlpool that sucks him under. He drowns.

A nail file surfaces with the inscription Aut inveniam viam aut faciam and the name Massimo Mazza. Mari realizes she has killed one of the Mazza brothers—one of the most powerful, wicked men in Naples.

Then she spots Matteo Mazza on the trail above, holding Lia with a canvas sack over her head. He's the spitting image of the man she just killed—the older, more wicked brother. He's seen everything: her magic, her killing. He takes Lia to a waiting coach and shouts Tornerò—I'll be back.

Mari rows back to shore, her hands blistered, dreading the moment she must tell Ami, Lia's mother.

Key Events

Pirates attack San Marco instead of Positano; the village celebrates, and the streghe privately commend the women who cursed the currents.
Corso leaves for Rome without a return date, leaving Mari uneasy about the impending marriage.
Mari takes Pippa and Lia for water instruction; they remove an abandoned fishing net and enter a hidden grotto.
Mari performs a whirlpool display; a drunk man appears and Lia vanishes.
Mari kills Massimo Mazza with the whirlpool spell, discovering his identity via a nail file inscription.
Matteo Mazza kidnaps Lia, witnessed by Mari, and shouts Tornerò before departing.
Mari rows back, dreading telling Ami.

Character Development

Mari is at a turning point. Her unease about Corso's return and her restlessness color the entire chapter. She's a mentor, teaching Pippa and Lia about the sea and strega magic, but she's also beginning to see herself as an outsider—she almost says our village before catching herself. When she kills Massimo, she does so without hesitation, driven by exhaustion from losing everyone she loves. Yet the chapter ends with her in despair, blaming herself for Lia's kidnapping: over and over, she keeps failing the people she loves.

Pippa shows her competence—perfect knots, quick thinking—and her toughness. She blames herself for leaving Lia alone in the boat, but Mari insists she take no blame.

Lia is curious and keen-eyed, spotting the net and asking about the whirlpool spell. Her kidnapping is a devastating blow, especially since she resembles Sofia.

Massimo Mazza is drunk, predatory, and threatening. Matteo Mazza is the older, more wicked brother, who calmly kidnaps Lia and delivers a chilling threat.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The sea's dual nature: The sea is both life-giver (fish, dolphins, the grotto's cold waters) and threat (the whirlpool that kills Massimo). Mari's relationship with the sea is ambivalent—she finds weightlessness and soundlessness beautiful, yet the sea has taken so much from her.
Limits of strega magic: Mari wishes she could fly or kill with a stare, but the sirens bestowed only seven curses, all for use on the sea. Her magic is powerful but constrained.
The food chain and cycle of life: Mari's lesson about fish eggs and predators mirrors the chapter's violence—the bigger fish eat the little fish, and Mari herself becomes a predator.
Dolphins as protectors: The pod's presence brings Mari a sense of safety, but they dart away before the attack—a subtle warning she misses.
The grotto as hidden sanctuary: The camouflaged cave is a place of teaching and safety, violated by the attack.
Guilt and self-blame: Mari blames herself for Lia's kidnapping; Pippa blames herself too.
The cimaruta: Mari instinctively reaches for her protective amulet before attacking.
Environmental damage: The abandoned fishing net represents human carelessness, which Mari and the girls must clean up—a contrast to the deliberate harm of the Mazza brothers.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is a major turning point. Mari kills a man for the first time—and that man is Massimo Mazza, one of the most powerful criminals in Naples. Matteo Mazza witnesses her magic and kidnaps Lia, setting up a direct confrontation. The Tornerò threat creates immediate forward momentum: Mari must gather the village and go to Naples. The chapter also deepens Mari's character, showing her capacity for violence and her guilt, and it establishes the stakes for the rest of the novel.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Mari's unease at the chapter's start foreshadow the events that follow?

Mari's restlessness is established early: she's uneasy about Corso's departure, the water trembles in her hands, and she ignores Lia's complaint about the pebble—unusual behavior for her. This agitation signals that something is wrong, and it culminates in the attack. The trembling water is a particularly effective foreshadowing device, suggesting the sea itself is disturbed.

2. What does the grotto lesson reveal about the streghe's role in the village?

The lesson shows that the streghe are essential to the village's survival: they use cold-water spells to ensure fish breeding, which feeds the village. Mari's near-slip from our village to the village reveals her growing sense of alienation. The lesson also emphasizes that magic isn't a cure-all—Mari reminds the girls that some problems can be solved without stregheria.

3. Why does Mari kill Massimo without hesitation, and what does this reveal about her character?

Mari kills Massimo because she's protecting herself and the girls, and because she's tired of losing everything she holds dear. She doesn't hesitate because she's already lost Sofia and others; she refuses to lose anyone else. This reveals her capacity for violence when pushed, her protective instincts, and her emotional exhaustion. The chapter shows that her magic can be lethal, and that she's willing to use it.