Wait until spring by John Fante

The provided text offers excerpts from John Fante’s novel, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, which is introduced by his son, Dan Fante. The introduction details John Fante's early struggles as a writer, his break into screenwriting for financial stability during the Great Depression, and the subsequent long period of anonymity before his literary rediscovery. The main body of the excerpts introduces the Bandini family, focusing on the strained relationship between the father, Svevo Bandini, and his wife, Maria, while also exploring the adolescent inner life of their son, Arturo Bandini, as he grapples with religious guilt, unrequited love, and the chaos of his family life. The narrative follows the family's harsh winter existence, culminating in Svevo’s affair with a wealthy widow and his eventual conflicted return home on Christmas Eve, and Arturo's emotional turmoil over the death of a girl he loved.