Belladonna

'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'Raw and tender .