Love, Hate and ‘The Sins We Inherit'

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Photo courtesy of Carlo Emanuele

Carlo Emanuele

Carlo Emanuele

When an autocrat dies, a dangerous game of succession will begin. What if an obvious heir apparent is unwilling to take the reins? That’s one of the problems facing Cost Cadutto, the protagonist of The Sins We Inherit by debut Milwaukee novelist Carlo Emanuele. His grandfather just died, leaving behind a profitable enterprise, albeit an illegal one—the local Mafia. Vultures are already circling before the funeral mass begins, and some in the pews think this is Cost’s big chance. He doesn’t agree.

The Sins We Inherit grew out of the journal Emanuele kept during a challenging stretch of his life. The novel isn’t factually autobiographical but emotionally true. “Cost carries a lot of the same contradictions I’ve lived with,” Emanuele says. “He’s a man capable of deep love and deep hate—and I understand that duality. We’re both driven, both protective, and both wired to take care of the people we love, sometimes to a fault.

“I’ve also lived with that same need for control,” he continues. “For years I believed if I worked hard enough and stayed disciplined enough, I could hold everything together. That mix of loyalty, pride, anger, and love is something I’ve felt firsthand, and it fuels a lot of Cost’s decisions.”

Family Problems

The Sins We Inherit is remarkable for a novice fiction writer, closely observed, descriptive, populated by fully developed characters. The dialogue is sharp. According to Cost’s grandfather, “Respect is just fear dressed up for church.”

Cost faces family problems that aren’t crime family-related—his acrimonious divorce, a teenage daughter who veils hostility with apathy. “At the center of it all is his relationship with his daughter,” Emanuele explains. “That bond—the love, the distance, the fear of losing her—drives every choice he makes. He wants to be better for her, even if he doesn’t always know how. That father-daughter thread is the emotional heart of the story, and it’s something I think a lot of people can relate to, no matter the genre.

“To me, the power of The Sins We Inherit is in the attempt. Cost reaches for better. He tries to rewrite his future, even as the past pulls hard on him. That tension—between who you were raised to be and who you’re trying to become, especially for your child—is what I hope resonates with readers.”

Soul of Milwaukee

Milwaukee is the novel’s setting. “I grew up on the South Side in a tight-knit Italian American family, and that perspective shaped every chapter,” he says. “The neighborhoods, the bars, the river, the Old-World families, the pride and grit—it’s uniquely Milwaukee.

Could the story be dropped into Chicago or Cleveland? “Maybe on paper,” he continues. “But the soul of this book is tied to this city. The tension between tradition and modern pressure, the weight of reputation, the quiet toughness—that’s Milwaukee. And visually, Milwaukee gives the story a look and atmosphere that stands out. It’s not another East Coast mafia setting. It’s fresh. It’s gritty in a different way.”

Emanuele wrote The Sins We Inherit with “a cinematic mindset. “From early on, I felt this world belonged on screen—the pacing, the emotional stakes, the character depth. I’m already deep into Book 2, but the long-term goal is a full series that brings the story to life visually.

“What I hope readers take away is that the things we inherit—our family history, our identity, our wounds, our loyalties—follow us whether we want them to or not. Cost spends the entire book trying to break free from the world that shaped him, but life doesn’t always let you escape cleanly. Sometimes doing the right thing still pulls you into the wrong places.”

6 p.m. book signing Thursday, Dec. 11 at White Rabbit Bar & Grill, 14015 N. Cedarburg Road, Mequon.