Like a confluence between MarloweÕs Doctor Faustus and LampadusaÕs The Leopard, the novel ANIMA concerns the spiritual journey of a man who enters into an evil covenant with his brother-in-law, a Sicilian Don. Set in the port village of Sciacca and taking place over the course of a week in October 1909, the story involves the way in which the protagonist metaphorically sells his soul, betrays the Don, and ultimately attempts to redeem himself.