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The Proxy Bride
In Niagara of the 1960s, a mysterious proxy bride arrives from Italy to marry a candy shop owner with crime connections, only to fall in love with her proxy husband's teenaged son. Part fairy tale, part gritty realism, The Proxy Bride explores the underbelly of a southern Ontario community steeped in gambling, smuggling and pornography. Terri Favro's The Proxy Bride is a brilliantly constructed tale of innocence versus wickedness.
120 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
48 people want to read
About the author
Terri Favro
10 books41 followersGrowing up in an immigrant neighbourhood in Canada's Niagara region, Terri Favro was always told that "if there's a nuclear war, we'll be the first to go", due to the proximity of the Niagara hydroelectric station. Her earliest influences were superhero comics, Warner Brothers cartoons, robots, MAD magazine, Narnia, Middle Earth, her Nonno’s deliciously violent Italian fairytales and the Atomic Bomb. Her life’s ambition was to write satirical comics while living under a lunar geodesic dome.
Not much has changed. Terri is now the author of three novels, a pop-science book about robots, and comic books she creates with her visual artist husband. She’s fond of red wine, cycling, cats, Sinatra standards from the ‘50s and her sons.
Although the lunar dome thing didn’t pan out, Terri enjoys stargazing in east end Toronto whilst sipping a wet dirty martini. Or two.
Terri is currently completing edits to "The Sisters Sputnik", the sequel to her critically acclaimed speculative fiction novel "Sputnik's Children" (ECW ) which was longlisted for 2020 CBC Canada Reads and chosen as one of the Globe & Mail's 100 Best Books of 2017, CBC Books Top 10 Canadian Fiction Books of 2017, and Quill & Quire Best Books of 2017.
Not much has changed. Terri is now the author of three novels, a pop-science book about robots, and comic books she creates with her visual artist husband. She’s fond of red wine, cycling, cats, Sinatra standards from the ‘50s and her sons.
Although the lunar dome thing didn’t pan out, Terri enjoys stargazing in east end Toronto whilst sipping a wet dirty martini. Or two.
Terri is currently completing edits to "The Sisters Sputnik", the sequel to her critically acclaimed speculative fiction novel "Sputnik's Children" (ECW ) which was longlisted for 2020 CBC Canada Reads and chosen as one of the Globe & Mail's 100 Best Books of 2017, CBC Books Top 10 Canadian Fiction Books of 2017, and Quill & Quire Best Books of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 12, 2012
It’s 1969, and Marcello, the 19-year-old hero of The Proxy Bride is grappling with the complexities of sex, religion, and getting out of Niagara. Lodged with his indolent father above the family business, a variety store and sometimes porn emporium, his only escape routes seem to be the priesthood or a life of crime … or maybe some combination of the two.
But Marcello soon discovers that his dilemmas are only just beginning. He falls deeply in love, with a woman who will either prove his downfall or his salvation.
This is a bold book. Terri Favro unflinchingly wields plot elements that would daunt many a first-time author. The heroes are as satisfyingly complex as the villains are simple. The suspense is gripping, the violence, graphic, the love scenes, hot.
Most of all I loved the evocation of the Niagara region of the 1960s, the shipping and industry, the seamy underbelly of crime, as well as all the above-board institutions like church and school. And through it all, the stream of immigrants from Italy and Eastern Europe, trying to negotiate life together in a new land. Favro keeps her focus tight on a profusion of intimate detail, never losing sight of the dramatic world events playing out in the background.
If, like me, you’re left wanting much, much more you can pick up a copy Bella and the Loyalist Heroine, Favro’s graphic novel with artist Ron Edding. It’s a beautiful marriage of text and illustration that brings an exotic -- yet hauntingly familiar -- world to life.
But Marcello soon discovers that his dilemmas are only just beginning. He falls deeply in love, with a woman who will either prove his downfall or his salvation.
This is a bold book. Terri Favro unflinchingly wields plot elements that would daunt many a first-time author. The heroes are as satisfyingly complex as the villains are simple. The suspense is gripping, the violence, graphic, the love scenes, hot.
Most of all I loved the evocation of the Niagara region of the 1960s, the shipping and industry, the seamy underbelly of crime, as well as all the above-board institutions like church and school. And through it all, the stream of immigrants from Italy and Eastern Europe, trying to negotiate life together in a new land. Favro keeps her focus tight on a profusion of intimate detail, never losing sight of the dramatic world events playing out in the background.
If, like me, you’re left wanting much, much more you can pick up a copy Bella and the Loyalist Heroine, Favro’s graphic novel with artist Ron Edding. It’s a beautiful marriage of text and illustration that brings an exotic -- yet hauntingly familiar -- world to life.
October 10, 2016
My favorite books are those that are closely observed, evoking a distinct time and place—and this novella delivers beautifully. Set in 1969, in a small town in Niagara, the story revolves around 19-year-old Marcello, a part time thug who vaguely aspires to be a priest. When Ida, a mysterious proxy bride arrives from Italy to marry his father, his aimless world is forever changed.
Favro is a superb stylist, with a gift for potent description, both gritty and quirky. Whether describing the grief of losing one’s mother too early (“Sofia vanished from his life like a rock dropped into a silent pool.”), an immigrant’s weary face (“ a forehead as deeply furrowed as the fields bordering Canal Road’) or something innocuous as a Jello salad,(“carrots and peas floating like sea monkeys in a thick lime ocean”), she shows a painterly eye for detail, with a deep affection for her subject matter.
Then there’s the savvy, seductive Ida, the unforgettable heroine of the story. At times I wondered, how did such a seemingly liberated lady end up getting hitched to such a crabby old codger? Then I had to remind myself that the story was set in the late 60s, which in a small Italian town would have been more like the late 50s. For better or worse, Ida has to accept her fate in life. Or does she?
No spoilers, but the ending was ambivalent. And like a good meal, it left me wanting more of the same. The only thing that can outdo this book is a sequel. Hopefully one is in the making.
Favro is a superb stylist, with a gift for potent description, both gritty and quirky. Whether describing the grief of losing one’s mother too early (“Sofia vanished from his life like a rock dropped into a silent pool.”), an immigrant’s weary face (“ a forehead as deeply furrowed as the fields bordering Canal Road’) or something innocuous as a Jello salad,(“carrots and peas floating like sea monkeys in a thick lime ocean”), she shows a painterly eye for detail, with a deep affection for her subject matter.
Then there’s the savvy, seductive Ida, the unforgettable heroine of the story. At times I wondered, how did such a seemingly liberated lady end up getting hitched to such a crabby old codger? Then I had to remind myself that the story was set in the late 60s, which in a small Italian town would have been more like the late 50s. For better or worse, Ida has to accept her fate in life. Or does she?
No spoilers, but the ending was ambivalent. And like a good meal, it left me wanting more of the same. The only thing that can outdo this book is a sequel. Hopefully one is in the making.
December 25, 2013
A very interesting short novel set in the fictional town of Shipman's Corners around 1969. The town is a thinly veiled St. Catharines of the past, with a number of unsavoury yet colourful small-time criminal characters. Terri Favro, a Laura Secord Secondary School graduate and St. Catharines native,, has a knack for describing a small-town underworld populated by immigrants from Europe, especially the Italian Marcello, who is scheduled to leave for the seminary, but seems to get sucked into the seedy goings-on against his will. When his father takes a proxy bride from the old country, his whole life is thrown into turmoil.
June 16, 2013
A beautiful snapshot of a time past and present: a vignette of small town Niagara, home to passionate Italians, their lives portrayed lovingly with sensual prose and operatic lyrical descriptions. Glossy paper whores, long-gone candy stores and the cool Catholic sanctuary of an incense-fragranced church, where 19-year-old Marcello, bearing tangerine nail polished love wounds, is urged to live a more saintly life. Forbidden love and fiery heroics save the day, and all I can say is that I can’t wait to read more from this author.
February 5, 2014
A strong sense of place, well-developed characters, a mercilessly lean writing style and a scandalous story with a shocking late twist come together to make this novella an exciting, moving read. I especially liked the way hydro-electricity plays into the ending - could it be any more Niagara? It's an auspicious debut, to say the least, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. In passing, too: it's the fourth Quattro title I've read in the last month or so, and I've quite liked them all. Pay attention to this press!
September 14, 2013
I thought this novella started slowly, but then captured me and rushed to a satisfying conclusion. At first the protagonist -- Marcello -- teenage shopkeeper and soon-to-be seminary student in the late 60s near Niagara falls -- didn't capture my imagination. I eventually fell for him as did his father's proxy bride. The story is compelling and quickly resolved. A great illustration of the not-too-far past history.
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January 6, 2013I don't like to rate books by friends so I will simply say this is a gripping story that pulled me along from start to finish. Terri writes excellent characters, and her imagery is fresh and moving. I really enjoyed this book!
November 8, 2013
Some lovely writing and an interesting character study of Marcello. The evocation of a gritty, grimy time and place is captured brilliantly.
August 13, 2016
A novel with references to the Italian community in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews