Chapter 22 Summary: Mari

⚠️ 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

On Monday, April 23, 1821, Dante returns to Positano after a week in Naples—without Lia. Ami collapses in grief at the sight of him alone. Mari, who has been hiding at Ami's house with the curtains drawn, recounts everything that happened while Dante was away: the Lupo's arrival, the additional kidnappings, and Leo's murder.

The village is in turmoil. Rumors spread about three more people kidnapped and a man killed. Signs of the violence remain visible: grooves in the sand where women were dragged to waiting tenders, and a bloodstain on the stone pathway where Leo fell. The villagers feel helpless, knowing the Naples police have always favored the Fratelli Mazza. The four women seized—a child, a well-loved baker, and the Fontana sisters—seem to have been taken without a clear pattern, though the streghe know it has nothing to do with ransom.

Dante breaks down, weeping and asking what the village has done to deserve this. Mari thinks of the vortice centuriaria—a curse so powerful that any woman who recites it would die—but says nothing.

Mari's internal conflict deepens. She feels shame about her secret plan to escape with Holmes and guilt for the pain she believes she has brought upon the village. A flashback reveals the plan's details: Holmes would wait in a gozzo on the beach at night, Mari would leave a change of clothes to fake a drowning, and they would row to nearby Praiano before taking an overland route to Naples. The village would assume she drowned. But now the plan is postponed; Mari is determined to set things right and never stop searching for Lia.

Dante shares his own news. In Naples, he stalked the Mazza establishments and docks with a gun, hoping to find Matteo, but never did. A stevedore, paid with a pocketful of coins, told him he had loaded a case of women's and children's clothing onto a small Mazza boat bound for Ischia—evidence the captives are alive. The stevedore also said the Mazzas were not permitting anyone onto the island and had shot a fisherman who got too close. Most alarming: another Mazza vessel, with Matteo Mazza aboard, is en route to Positano and expected within two days.

Dante urges everyone to flee, but Ami refuses to leave without Lia, and Mari refuses to run from the peril she believes she brought upon the village.

Late that evening, the ten remaining streghe gather in Ami's tiny bakery, dressed in men's attire with their hair tucked under hats. Emilia and Pippa report a mysterious trespasser—someone slight and slender going through a garbage can, and a similar sighting weeks earlier at Pippa's mother's house. Mari is unnerved; the description doesn't match a Mazza scout, suggesting a threat closer to home.

Mari then proposes her plan: sink the Mazza ship. The Mazzas, overconfident, take the dangerous Li Galli route instead of the longer, safer path south of it. Three streghe reciting the vortice curse repeatedly would create a whirlpool strong enough to upset the ship's ballast and pull her under. The men would blame the currents. The plan involves a watch from a cave near San Pietro, with three women on duty at all times, switching every twelve hours. When the ship passes Li Galli, they will perform the curse.

The women vote unanimously in favor. The chapter ends with the declaration that the Mazza ship will never make it to Positano.

Key Events

Dante returns from Naples without Lia; Ami collapses in grief
Mari recounts the Lupo's arrival, additional kidnappings, and Leo's murder
Dante's stevedore informant reveals the captives are alive (clothing shipped to Ischia)
Matteo Mazza's vessel is approaching Positano
Dante urges flight; Ami and Mari refuse
The streghe assembly hears reports of a mysterious trespasser
Mari proposes sinking the Mazza ship with the vortice curse
The women vote unanimously in favor

Character Development

Mari: Undergoes a decisive shift from escape to commitment. Her guilt and shame about the Holmes plan give way to a resolve to protect the village and find Lia. She takes on a leadership role, proposing the risky plan and organizing the watch.
Ami: Shows fierce maternal resolve, refusing to leave without Lia even when Dante argues for safety.
Dante: Moves from despair to action, having traveled to Naples and gathered intelligence, though his grief remains raw.
The streghe: Demonstrate unity and trust, voting unanimously despite fears and doubts.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Guilt and responsibility: Mari believes she brought the danger upon the village and feels compelled to stay and fight.
The sea as weapon: The vortice curse turns the ocean's natural danger into a tool of resistance.
Deception and disguise: The women dress in men's attire; Mari's faked-drowning plan is an escape through deception.
Community solidarity: The assembly and unanimous vote show the streghe acting collectively.
The unknown threat: The mysterious trespasser introduces a new layer of unease, suggesting danger from within.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is a turning point. The streghe move from passive victims to active conspirators, committing to a dangerous supernatural plan. Mari's choice to abandon her escape plan and stay to fight defines her arc. The confirmation that the captives are alive raises the stakes, and the approaching vessel with Matteo aboard creates urgency. The chapter sets up the climax of the novel's central conflict.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Mari postpone her escape plan with Holmes, and what does this reveal about her?

Mari postpones the plan because she feels responsible for the danger the village faces and is determined to set things right. This reveals her guilt, her sense of duty, and her growing commitment to the community over her own freedom.

2. How does the vortice curse plan exploit the Mazzas' overconfidence?

The Mazzas take the dangerous Li Galli route because they are overconfident. The streghe plan to use the curse to create a whirlpool in those waters, making the ship's destruction appear to be a natural accident. The men would blame the currents, not the women.

3. What role does the mysterious trespasser report play in the chapter?

The report introduces a new layer of unease. The description—slight and slender—doesn't match a Mazza scout, suggesting a threat closer to home. It makes Mari wonder who she can trust and adds tension to the already dangerous situation.