I picked up this book because the cover intrigued me. I was under the impression it was about Cinque Terra and it starts there, but the book is about so much more. The story starts in the early 60's with Pasquale, a young but visionary young man who wants to turn his father's rundown hotel in the middle of nowhere near Cinque Terra into a place American tourists will visit. He waits for this big day with naivete and is finally rewarded when Dee Moray comes to stay there--by accident. 
 The story shifts to present to a woman named Claire who is a struggling writer who wants to make a good movie, but finds herself ready to give up hope that she can ever accomplish her dreams. Then she meets the elderly Pasquale who is looking for Dee after all those years and he is somehow connected to a struggling playwright, Shane, who is ready to give up as well. (Pasquale doesn't speak English well anymore, and Shane happened to know some Italian.) 
 The story goes back and forth between these two timelines and in between. Its sad to see the characters have happy lives, but be so wrapped up in searching for that elusive fame and success that they miss out on their many blessings. They're lives intertwine and separate throughout but what really struck me was how well Jess Walter wrapped up the story and how each one of those characters came to understand that they were really just one step away from happy and fulfilled and all they had to do was stop looking for it somewhere far. It was a beautiful story with such an appropriate title.