Belladonna

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It is summer, 1954, 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 toward 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.*****Praise for Things Bright and Beautiful'Lyrical, suspenseful, darkly comic' Observer 'A claustrophobic compelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness' Independent 'What a hot and sticky, feverishly Lord Of The Flies-style debut! Excels in rich detail, suspense and tension. A masterclass' The Pool 'Excellent, blackly funny' Daily Mail