U sjeni bregova
The novel depicts the tragic fate of Mariuta (Marije Zef) and her younger sister Rosuta. The work shocked contemporaries with its boldness in depicting taboo subjects, and is today considered a classic portrait of female suffering in rural Italy.
After their mother dies of exhaustion and illness, the girls, aged 14 and 8, come under the care of their uncle Barbe Zef, a rough mountain pauper who takes them to an abandoned hut in the hills.
The uncle forces Mariuta to hard field labor and sexual abuse, using her as a prostitute to pay off his debts. Mariuta, faced with brutality and poverty, suffers in silence, protecting her sister as best she can. However, when the uncle turns his attention to the innocent Rosuta, Mariuta stabs him to death in a desperate act of self-defense.
The novel ends with Mariuta's arrest and trial, where her suffering is revealed to the public, but without any real liberation. Drigo masterfully portrays female vulnerability in a patriarchal world, where poverty and male power destroy lives.
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