Local Author Spotlight- Anna Bruno

By Emily King

For Anna Bruno, Pittsburgh wasn’t just a great place to grow up; it was the perfect setting for her second novel, Fine Young People. She currently resides in Iowa, but her Pittsburgh roots are evident in the coming-of-age murder mystery set at a prep school in Sewickley. Bruno attended high school at Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel, which provided the inspiration for the fictional St. Ignatius school, the setting for the book. 

In the story, the prep school community is rocked by the suicide of a classmate. The young female protagonist, Francesca “Frankie” Paladino, becomes gripped by the tragedy and the possibly related death of another student decades earlier. Together with her best friend, they embark on a mission to unravel the mystery. The plot moves quickly with twists and turns that keep the reader fully engaged, while themes of privilege, ambition, and friendship lie beneath the surface of the action. 

Bruno’s novel has been met with strong critical acclaim from readers and other writers alike, including fellow Pittsburgh author Stewart O’Nan, who described it as a “smart, irreverent secret history.” Reader feedback shows that everyone connects with different aspects of the book, depending on their own life experiences. Some readers have particularly loved the friendship themes that Bruno explores or have questioned their own perspectives on religion and faith. 

Bruno returned to Pittsburgh for a book release event at Sewickley’s beloved Penguin Bookstore. She also had the opportunity to reunite with her Shady Side Academy English teacher, a full-circle moment for her.

“I must give credit to my teachers at Shady Side Academy for starting me on the path to becoming a writer,” she says. “It was a magical place where teachers paid attention to what we had to say, and how we put it to paper.”

Bruno says that when she sat down to write Fine Young People, she realized how much intimate knowledge she had of Pittsburgh, despite having left as a young adult. The place you spend your formative years becomes an intrinsic part of who you are and influences how you perceive the world. She explains that beyond her own memories, she has absorbed the experiences of her parents and brother passed down to her in the form of stories and photographs. 

“The book is a love letter to a place that will always be home, no matter how long I’ve been away.”