The Basic Story Line

Vito Verdi aspires to be a successful commercial songwriter. He is stuck in a dismal job as an auto insurance underwriter with the Alpha-Omega Company. A series of obstacles make if difficult for Vito to achieve his dream. In the meanwhile, he is offered promotions, and consequently is drawn more and more into the trap of becoming an organization man. Ultimately the novel ends with a successful song performance and a note of hope.
Subsidiary story lines include (1) Vito’s desire to marry Julia, a young rate clerk, (2) his need to disengage from his ex-wife, Joan, and (3) his wish to reassert himself as a functional father with his seven-year-old daughter, Olivia.
Like Irving Berlin, Vito writes words and music. Vito has a picture of Berlin on his bedroom wall and sometimes “talks” to the picture. Vito is rational. He recognizes this as a fantasy exercise.

Characters

VITO VERDI. As indicated above, Vito is the novel’s protagonist. The entire story is told in the first person and reflects his perceptions of the world. His passionate desire to become a successful commercial songwriter drives the action and the various emotional levels of the book.

JULIA BIAMONTI. Vito is in love with Julia, and she returns his love. Julia had a teen-age pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage. Her brother, Dino, believes that Julia had an abortion.

JOAN VERDI. Joan is Vito’s ex-wife. She thinks Vito is a fool, and says so. She has a low opinion of his songs. In spite of all of this, she seduces Vito, against his better judgment, early in the novel.

OLIVIA VERDI. Olivia is seven years old, and precocious. She is unhappy living with Joan, away from her father. She becomes unhappier when Johnny DeLuca emerges as a possible stepfather (see below). Olivia, unlike her mother, has a very high opinion of her father’s songs.

FLORENCE VERDI. Florence is Vito’s mother. She is nurturing and loving. She marries Rozzano Fortunato, Vito’s ex-music teacher. When Florence moves in with Rozzano, Vito becomes lonely, a man without a home.

ROZZANO FOURTUNATO. Rozzano is often referred to as Professore Fortunato. An old-fashioned maestro, he pronounces all popular music “junk.”

HARRY WARREN. Based on a real person, Warren is a songwriter for the movie studios. He wrote such well-known songs as You’ll Never Know, Chatanoonga Choo-Choo, and That’s Amore.

CORETTA FORTUNATO. Coretta, also called Corrine, is one of Rozzano’s two daughters. Coretta is man hungry, and seduces Vito.

JOHNNY DeLUCA. Johnny is a talented singer, and has spent twelve years going nowhere since he graduated from high school. He cuts a demonstration record of Vito’s ballad Hand in Hand and blatantly steals it, copyrighting it in his own name.

SOPHIA BIAMONTI. Sophia is Julia’s mother and is identified with her large golden earrings and flamboyant dress. She is suspected of placing una maledizione (a curse) on Johnny.

DINO BIAMONTI. Dino is Julia’s brother. He objects to Vito’s interest in his sister. He believes that she should atone for having had an abortion by becoming a nun.

WALTER DONALDSON. Old Man Donaldson is the Supervisor of Underwriting at the Alpha-Omega Insurance Company.