Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne Summary, Analysis and Themes

Diavola is a chilling blend of psychological horror and family drama set against the backdrop of a cursed Italian villa. Jennifer Marie Thorne crafts a sinister, atmospheric tale about the inescapable bonds of family and the haunting effects of generational trauma. 

At its core, it’s a Gothic twist on toxic family vacations, where supernatural forces feed off unresolved tensions. As the Pace family unravels within the eerie confines of Villa Taccola, protagonist Anna must confront both her fractured relationships and the dark history of the house to break free from a cycle of dysfunction and pain.

Summary

Anna Pace, the black sheep of the affluent but dysfunctional Pace family, reluctantly joins her parents and siblings for an annual family vacation in Italy. The chosen destination is Villa Taccola, a grand, remote estate near the village of Monteperso. From the moment Anna arrives, she feels uneasy. 

The locals issue cryptic warnings about the villa’s dark past, and strange occurrences plague the property: unexplained noises, cold spots, and whispers in Italian echo through the ancient walls. 

Despite the growing tension, the family dismisses Anna’s concerns, continuing their toxic dynamics of control, blame, and emotional neglect.

The family members are entrenched in familiar roles. 

Anna’s mother criticizes her lifestyle choices, her father asserts his authority by reminding everyone that he funded the trip, and her older sister Nicole maintains rigid control over the itinerary. Nicole’s husband Justin remains passive, while her two daughters, Waverly and Mia, are bright spots in Anna’s otherwise strained experience. 

Anna’s twin brother Benny, once her closest confidant, has grown distant under the influence of his arrogant boyfriend, Christopher, who openly mocks Anna. These simmering family tensions begin to escalate as the villa’s haunting presence amplifies their underlying resentments.

At the heart of the villa is a mysterious locked tower room, which locals insist must remain sealed. However, Benny and Christopher’s curiosity gets the better of them, and they unlock the door despite the warnings. 

This act unleashes a malevolent force that preys on the family’s weaknesses. Supernatural events intensify: doors slam on their own, ghostly figures appear in mirrors, and family members experience vivid nightmares that dredge up their deepest fears and regrets. 

The villa seems to feed on the family’s dysfunction, amplifying their anger and paranoia.

As the haunting worsens, the family’s relationships unravel. Long-buried resentments surface, with Nicole berating Anna for her perceived failures, Benny distancing himself further, and their parents continuing to belittle Anna’s life choices. 

Anna realizes that she has always been the scapegoat for the family’s emotional baggage—a role the villa itself seems to exploit. 

She becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the haunting, researching the villa’s history and learning that it was cursed centuries ago by a family accused of witchcraft.

The villa’s curse isn’t just about ghosts; it symbolizes the generational trauma that the family carries. The haunting forces each family member to confront their personal demons. 

Nicole’s perfectionism crumbles, Benny’s insecurities surface, and their parents’ coldness and control are laid bare. As tensions reach a breaking point, Anna finally stands up to her family, refusing to be the emotional punching bag any longer. 

She realizes that the only way to break free from the villa’s grip is to confront the emotional wounds that have bound them together in dysfunction.

In the climax, Anna locks the villa’s malevolent force back in the tower, severing its power over her family. She returns to New York, determined to reclaim her life. However, in a twist ending, she chooses to buy the villa and stay in Tuscany, hinting that she has found a way to coexist with its haunting presence. 

The novel ends with a lingering sense of unease, suggesting that while Anna has broken free from her family’s toxicity, some hauntings—both literal and emotional—can never be fully escaped.

Characters

Anna Pace

Anna is the novel’s protagonist, a thirty-something woman living in New York who returns to Italy to join her family’s vacation. As the family’s designated “black sheep,” Anna occupies a complex position within the Pace family.

Her independent lifestyle and refusal to conform to the family’s rigid expectations make her a frequent target of criticism, particularly from her mother and sister. Despite her outward cynicism, Anna yearns for familial acceptance and struggles with the loneliness that comes from being the odd one out.

Her vulnerability makes her particularly susceptible to the villa’s haunting presence, as the supernatural forces feed on her insecurities and emotional wounds. Anna’s character arc is one of empowerment—she begins the story as a passive participant in her family’s toxic dynamics but gradually asserts her independence and refuses to be their scapegoat any longer.

Her final decision to confront the villa’s dark presence reflects her inner resolve to break free from the emotional baggage her family has imposed on her. Anna’s sensitivity also allows her to bond closely with her young nieces, Waverly and Mia, who represent innocence and hope amid the toxic atmosphere of the family.

Her protective instincts toward them highlight her nurturing side, contrasting with the coldness of other family members. Ultimately, Anna’s character embodies the struggle to reconcile familial loyalty with self-preservation, making her the heart of the story.

Nicole Pace

Nicole, Anna’s older sister, is a control freak who thrives on structure and order. She is married to Justin and has two young daughters, Waverly and Mia.

Nicole’s obsessive need to micromanage every aspect of the vacation and her family’s lives stems from her deep-seated insecurities and desire to maintain the illusion of perfection. Her behavior is often antagonistic toward Anna, whom she sees as a failure for not conforming to societal expectations of success and family life.

Nicole’s rigidity and refusal to acknowledge her own flaws make her an easy target for the villa’s supernatural influence. The oppressive atmosphere of Villa Taccola amplifies her worst traits, causing her to lash out at her family and become increasingly paranoid.

Her toxic behavior is rooted in unresolved trauma and a desperate need to feel in control. Yet her interactions with Anna reveal her vulnerability.

She resents Anna’s independence because it reminds her of her own unfulfilled desires and the compromises she has made in her life. The villa exploits Nicole’s perfectionism and pushes her toward a mental breakdown.

Her inability to let go of control becomes her downfall, as she succumbs to the villa’s dark influence. By the end of the story, Nicole’s character arc highlights the dangers of suppressing emotions and the toll that rigid family roles can take on an individual’s mental health.

Benny Pace

Benny is Anna’s twin brother and a once-close confidant who has grown distant over the years. He is in a relationship with Christopher, a man whose abrasive personality creates further tension within the family.

Benny’s passivity and desire to avoid conflict make him a stark contrast to Anna, who confronts family issues head-on. He often acts as a mediator within the family, going along with the dominant voices to maintain peace, even if it means betraying his own feelings or values.

Benny’s relationship with Anna is strained, largely due to his unwillingness to stand up for her in the face of their family’s criticism. His passivity stems from a fear of confrontation and a desire to belong, but it also reflects a deep-rooted insecurity about his own identity.

Benny’s relationship with Christopher complicates matters further, as Christopher’s dismissive and condescending attitude toward Anna creates tension between the siblings. The villa preys on Benny’s insecurities, exploiting his fear of rejection and his unresolved guilt over abandoning his close bond with Anna.

His character arc explores themes of loyalty, identity, and the internal conflict between self-preservation and familial duty. In the end, Benny is a tragic figure, torn between the desire to maintain peace and the need to confront the family’s toxic dynamics.

Christopher

Christopher, Benny’s boyfriend, is one of the most antagonistic figures in the story. His arrogance, entitlement, and lack of empathy make him a disruptive presence within the family.

Christopher’s dismissive attitude toward Anna and his refusal to heed warnings about the villa’s cursed history demonstrate his recklessness and disrespect for boundaries. Christopher serves as a catalyst for many of the supernatural events in the story.

His curiosity about the locked tower room and his decision to unlock it despite warnings unleash the villa’s dark forces. His character represents the dangers of arrogance and cultural insensitivity, as he dismisses the locals’ warnings as mere superstition and places his own desires above the safety of others.

Unlike the other characters, Christopher’s arc is one of decline rather than growth. His refusal to acknowledge his mistakes or take responsibility for his actions leads to his downfall.

He becomes a victim of the villa’s haunting, a cautionary figure whose fate underscores the dangers of hubris.

Mr. and Mrs. Pace

Anna’s parents embody the emotionally distant and judgmental archetypes often found in Gothic literature. Mr. Pace is primarily concerned with asserting his authority and reminding the family of his financial contributions.

Mrs. Pace is passive-aggressive and hypercritical, particularly toward Anna. Their emotional coldness and inability to provide genuine support to their children create the foundation for the family’s dysfunction.

Mrs. Pace’s criticism of Anna’s lifestyle choices reflects her own insecurities and disappointment with her life. Mr. Pace’s focus on money and status highlights his superficial values.

The parents’ behavior reinforces the generational trauma at the heart of the story. Their unwillingness to address emotional issues directly and their reliance on passive-aggressive tactics contribute to the toxic family dynamic.

Their presence in the villa amplifies the haunting, as their unresolved emotional wounds provide fertile ground for the villa’s dark influence.

Waverly and Mia

Waverly and Mia, Nicole’s daughters, represent innocence and hope in the story. They are the only characters who seem unaffected by the villa’s oppressive atmosphere.

Their bond with Anna provides a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark tale. Anna’s protective instincts toward her nieces highlight her nurturing side and her desire to shield them from the toxic dynamics of the family.

The girls’ presence serves as a reminder of the potential for healing and growth, even in the face of trauma. However, their innocence also makes them vulnerable to the villa’s influence, particularly when supernatural events begin to escalate.

Waverly’s decision to cut ties with the family at the end of the story suggests a break from the generational cycle of trauma. Her character arc represents the possibility of breaking free from toxic family roles and choosing a healthier path.

The Villa Taccola

While not a person, the villa itself is a central character in the story. It embodies the lingering effects of generational trauma and feeds off the family’s emotional baggage.

The villa’s haunting is subtle at first, but it grows stronger as the family’s dysfunction intensifies. The locked tower room symbolizes the family’s buried secrets and unresolved issues.

The act of unlocking the door unleashes not just supernatural forces but also the repressed emotions and tensions that have been festering within the family for years. The villa’s curse is a metaphor for the emotional wounds passed down through generations.

By confronting the villa’s dark presence, Anna symbolically breaks free from the toxic family dynamic and takes control of her own narrative.

Themes

Family Dysfunction and Emotional Baggage as a Source of Haunting

One of the central themes in Diavola revolves around the toxic dynamics within the Pace family, which are both the catalyst for and the source of the supernatural events that unfold at Villa Taccola. Anna, the protagonist, is constantly belittled and excluded by her family, and the deeply embedded resentments and unresolved tensions among them feed into the villa’s sinister energy.

The haunting is not just about ghostly apparitions or physical disturbances, but more intricately tied to the fractured emotional state of the family. The villa, a physical manifestation of their collective dysfunction, mirrors the lack of communication, empathy, and support between them, particularly between Anna and her family members.

This idea is brought to life through Anna’s growing realization that the villa thrives on the emotional turmoil and unresolved trauma the family harbors. It is the weight of their generational baggage and inability to confront their issues that allows the supernatural forces to take root.

Ultimately, the villa’s curse is symbolic of the power that family trauma holds over individuals, influencing their behavior and relationships.

The Blurring Line Between Supernatural Horror and Psychological Distress

Another prominent theme in Diavola is the intersection of supernatural horror and psychological distress. The haunting at Villa Taccola can be interpreted not just as a traditional ghost story but as an exploration of Anna’s internal struggles and her family’s psychological scars.

The increasingly disturbing phenomena in the villa—whispers, apparitions, and strange occurrences—serve as external manifestations of the characters’ deep-rooted fears, insecurities, and unresolved issues. Anna’s experience with the ghostly presence becomes a metaphor for her internal conflict and the oppressive atmosphere she faces due to her toxic family.

As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult for both Anna and the reader to discern whether the events are purely supernatural or the result of psychological deterioration caused by the constant emotional abuse Anna suffers. This thematic blending emphasizes how the mind can manifest its fears and trauma, turning psychological turmoil into a tangible, terrifying reality.

The supernatural acts as both a literal and figurative reflection of Anna’s mental state and that of her family, pushing the narrative to explore the complex relationship between external horrors and the internal battles that shape them.

Generational Trauma and the Inescapable Cycle of Family History

A more subtle yet profound theme in Diavola is the examination of generational trauma and the cyclical nature of family history. The villa itself, with its dark past, serves as a symbol of how trauma is passed down through generations.

Anna’s family is not only haunted by the ghosts of the villa but also by the ghosts of their past, in the form of emotional scars and unresolved conflicts. Anna’s realization that the villa’s curse preys on those who bring unresolved pain into its walls highlights how generational trauma continues to shape the family’s behavior and relationships.

The relationships in Anna’s family are shaped by unspoken resentments, guilt, and bitterness that have been passed down over time, mirroring the history of the villa itself, which bears the curse of past violence and betrayal. This theme underscores the idea that breaking free from family history and the expectations tied to it is not only difficult but may also require confronting the darkest aspects of one’s lineage.

The haunting serves as a representation of the weight of inherited trauma and the struggle to break free from it, particularly when the family members are unwilling or unable to recognize or address their collective pain.

The Impact of Isolation and Family Roles on Identity and Self-Worth

The story also delves into how family roles and expectations impact one’s sense of self and emotional well-being. Anna, as the “black sheep” of the family, feels a constant sense of isolation, not just geographically, but emotionally.

Her family’s treatment of her—through passive-aggressive comments, constant criticism, and their tendency to scapegoat her for various issues—undermines her self-worth and sense of belonging. This sense of alienation is intensified by her exposure to the villa’s oppressive atmosphere, which seems to amplify the negative emotions already present in her family’s relationships.

Anna’s struggle to fit in with her family is compounded by the eerie presence of the villa, which seems to feed on her isolation and self-doubt. Over time, the boundaries between the supernatural elements and her emotional pain blur, making it clear that her haunting is not just a literal presence in the villa, but a reflection of how her family has shaped her sense of identity.

Her internal battle—of trying to reconcile her self-worth with her family’s harsh judgments and her growing awareness of the villa’s power—underscores how family roles can define and constrain one’s identity, sometimes to the point of overwhelming them.

Cultural Clash and the Sense of Entitlement in the Face of Superstition

In Diavola, there is also a subtle yet important exploration of the cultural divide between the Pace family and the locals of Monteperso. The family’s sense of entitlement and privilege is starkly contrasted with the villagers’ deep respect for local superstitions and the dark history of Villa Taccola.

The family dismisses the warnings from the locals, seeing them as quaint or unimportant, and instead continue with their vacation, blind to the real dangers lurking in the villa. This clash between the family’s dismissive attitude and the villagers’ cautionary tales highlights the cultural ignorance and entitlement that often accompanies privilege.

The family’s failure to respect the customs and fears of the locals contributes to the escalation of the haunting. It also speaks to a larger commentary on the disconnect that can occur when one group, especially those from a position of privilege, disregards the lived experiences and beliefs of another group, especially in matters they deem irrational or backward.

The family’s sense of superiority blinds them to the reality of the villa’s curse, which ultimately punishes them for their arrogance and disregard of local wisdom. This theme serves as a critique of how cultural differences are often dismissed, and how ignoring or belittling such differences can lead to unforeseen consequences.