Description
(Available after July 29 2021)
Set against the evocative backdrop of Northern Italy, Salam’s exquisite psychological thriller ripples with sun-dappled menace. As two American friends relocate to a rural Italian Academy, companionship turns to dangerous obsession and Belladonna reaches a fever pitch of sublime suspense.
'A beguiling whirlwind of love and obsession' -- Elle
It is summer, 1956, when fifteen-year-old Bridget first meets Isabella. In their conservative Connecticut town, Isabella is a breath of fresh air. She is worldly, alluring and brazen: an enigma.
When they receive an offer to study at the Academy in Italy, Bridget is thrilled. This is her ticket to Europe and - better still - a chance to spend nine whole months with her glamorous and unpredictable best friend.
There, lodged in a convent of nuns who have taken a vow of silence, the two girls move towards a passionate but fragile intimacy. As the year rolls on, Bridget grows increasingly fearful that she will lose Isabella's affections - and the more desperate she gets, the greater the lengths she will go to keep her.
Belladonna is a hypnotizing coming-of age story set against the stunning and evocative backdrop of rural Northern Italy. Anbara Salam tells a story of friendship and obsession, desire and betrayal, and the lies we tell in order to belong.
'An enthralling tale of race, secrets and the desire to belong' -- i
'Lush and languid, this sultry coming-of-age tale captures a fractured friendship and the yearnings of girlhood' -- Daily Mail
'Thrillingly ambitious, moving, painful and insightful. This book captures something unique about the experience of jealousy, betrayal and the muddied waters that lie between friendship and obsessive love' -- Daisy Buchanan
'The Virgin Suicides meets Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley, this unputdownable and lush novel had me entranced' -- Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti
Number of pages: 352
Dimensions: 216 x 135 x 26 mm
