I Before E

by Drew Banks

i before e, except by the sea,
where when drowning I may,
find padre. Padre!

The third novel in the Elba trilogy, "I Before E" tells the story of Paolo Viglietti, a young Italian-American immigrant whose desperate struggle to understand his father’s drowning triggers a turbulent coming of age—one that ultimately leads him back to Italy to confront the family mysteries he's grappled with his entire life.

Set between 1986 and 2000, "I Before E" follows Paolo's journey from his suffocating childhood in Little Italy (New York City), to his teenage liberation in the West Village, to his college escape to UC Berkeley, and finally to his return to Italy and search for answers in Rome, Padua, and his hometown of Portoferraio, Elba.

Though "I Before E" stands alone as an independent novel, readers of "Able Was I" and "Ere I Saw Elba" will recognize familiar faces as the threads of the trilogy weave together to explore themes of childhood trauma, exile, and forgiveness.

380 pages, Paperback

Published November 28, 2025

About the author

Drew Banks is a retired entrepreneur, business author, and novelist. In his business writing as well as fiction, Drew deconstructs behavioral patterns in an attempt to explore psychological motivations and deterrents. While Drew's business books examine organizational implications of various social psychologies, he is drawn to fiction—where he is now focused—as a more intimate medium for delving beneath the surface of an individual.

Drew's Elba Trilogy consists of three independent novels—ABLE WAS I, ERE I SAW ELBA, and coming soon, I BEFORE E—all dealing with the issue of exile, physical and emotional, with the protagonist of each (as well as some ancillary characters) woven throughout.

WUNC Interview: Able Was I
https://tinyurl.com/4s4y6e6k

WUNC Interview: Ere I Saw Elba
https://tinyurl.com/xe883h43

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful coming of age story, featuring Paolo, a boy who emigrates from Italy to New York City, with his mother and sister. The book takes on many weighty themes, including profound loss, sexual discovery and forgiveness. While Paolo is very likeable, my two favorite characters were his BFF Madge, who he meets in High School (everybody needs a Madge in their lives) and Paolo's Aunt Brigitte, who Paolo goes to live with in Italy. Both Madge and Brigitte are forces of nature, and while they never meet, they influence and help shape Paolo into a curious, kind and responsible adult. I highly recommend this book.

[Bob Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! I felt a deep connection to Paolo almost immediately and that stayed with me throughout the novel. If you are looking to take an engaging and emotional reading journey from New York to Italy to California as Paolo’s story unfolds, buy this book!

[Alexandra Haupt · Rating 5 out of 5]

He leído la trilogía completa de Drew Banks y I Before E es, sin duda, la que más me tocó.
Quizá porque es la más doméstica, la más familiar. Sigue a Paolo, un personaje que ya aparecía de niño en la primera novela, y lo acompaña en su crecimiento como hijo de inmigrantes italianos en el Nueva York de los años noventa, años en los que Internet empezaba a existir, pero todavía no lo invadía todo. Una etapa de transición que atraviesa también la forma en que Paolo va construyendo su identidad.
La novela trata la identidad, la pertenencia y la sexualidad con mucha honestidad y sin dramatismos innecesarios. Me gustó que el libro no intente explicar ni justificar nada: observa, deja espacio y confía en el lector.
I Before E me parece la conclusión perfecta de la trilogía. No busca atar todos los cabos ni cerrar todas las heridas. Es una novela sincera que se queda contigo más por lo que sugiere que por lo que explica.