The View From Lake Como

Jess’s Uncle Louie owns the family business, Capodimonte Marble and Stone, importing marble and granite from Carrara, Italy, and installing it in local homes, businesses, and churches. He dresses in nice suits, calls pretty women “tomatoes,” and prioritizes family above all else. When he went to Italy as a young man, he fell in love with a woman named Claudia, whose father objected to the match. After he was sent back to New Jersey, Claudia learned she was pregnant with Louie’s child, though her father told her Louie had died in a quarry accident. Louie never knew about his son, Mauro, and he and his wife, Lil, were unable to have children of their own.

Since Louie knew his sister and brother-in-law would always have money problems, he worked very hard to save money to help support his nieces and nephew. He says that this is why he incorporated a secondary business to (illegally) sell remnants from Cap Marble’s jobs, on which he never paid taxes; he put this company, the Elegant Gangster, in Jess’s name, telling her parents that it would provide for her in the future. He made Jess his sole heir, and she inherits both businesses when he dies.

Though his business ethics are dubious, Louie’s commitment to, and deep concern for, family demonstrates his loving nature. He wants what’s best for Jess, but he also doesn’t insist that his ideas are better than hers. He is the person she always believed would get her to Italy, and he is, as he buys her the open ticket she ultimately uses after his death. He was a mixture of progressive and old-fashioned, pushing Jess to do what she needs for herself while also believing that being in love is the only way to be truly happy.

Philomena is the mother of Jess, Connie, and Joe Jr., and she is Louie’s sister. In a simile Jess repeats more than once, Phil is compared to a grenade, and her family tries to prevent anyone from pulling her pin, including Phil herself. She is apt to become defensive, quick to send people with whom she’s angry to “the Island”—a metaphor for giving them the silent treatment, often for years at a time—and inept at dealing with people in more productive ways. This is why Louie fired her from the family business, a move that put him on the Island for years. During this time, the traditional family Christmas Eve celebrations were canceled, due to Phil’s legendary ability to hold a grudge.

Phil feels put-upon as a woman in an Italian American family, convinced that her father prioritized Louie’s happiness because Louie was the first-born son. Phil puts a great deal of pressure on her own children, though she sees it as asking them to fulfill their duty. She is also the only person who calls Jess by her full name, Giuseppina, an indication of her commitment to tradition.

Phil is overbearing but loving, and she believes that what’s best for her children is to follow family traditions and obey their parents. Jess began life in the NICU, causing her mother to constantly worry about her health and safety, a concern exacerbated by Jess’s panic attacks (which are often caused by Phil herself). Ultimately, Phil is a dynamic character, as she learns that she must allow her children to make their own decisions, to develop on their own terms and not hers. She admits that she rejoiced when Jess married Bobby because she felt certain he would never take Jess away from her. Near the end of the novel, when Phil realizes that Jess has “outgrown” Lake Como, she can let go of her fears—for the most part—and the entire family travels to Italy to help Jess renovate an old family home.

Bobby is Jess’s ex-husband, a Lake Como celebrity, beloved by the community. No one understands why Jess didn’t want to stay married to him, and even Jess must admit that he is a good man, handsome, and kind. As is common in this community, however, when Bobby and Jess disagreed, Bobby’s wishes prevailed. Whether it was the shape of their wedding cake, the location of their honeymoon, the colors in their apartment, or the decision to rent instead of buy, Jess always gave in to Bobby’s wishes, and Bobby tacitly expected her to. Her relationship with Bobby helped to show her that she lost sight of what she wanted her life to be, and she recognizes how alienated from herself she became during their marriage.

Then, after Jess lost a pregnancy, Bobby didn’t know how to help her, leading to increased feelings of estrangement and alienation within their relationship. During their divorce proceedings, he claimed that his job as Jess’s husband was to make her happy, but he never connected their actual experience together—and the fact that his preference always prevailed—to her unhappiness. Even after the divorce is final, he travels to Italy to ask Jess what went wrong. Bobby’s lack of understanding is made clear when he calls her a “good girl,” which Jess understands is the highest compliment he would think to pay a woman. He doesn’t realize that she has “outgrown” this compliment or that such a thing is even possible.

Ultimately, Jess returns his engagement ring so he can use it to propose to Lisa, a small-town girl who has no desire to leave the community. Lisa is a better match for Bobby, as they have the same ideas about what makes for a good and happy life, something he and Jess never really shared.