Ilaria Bernardini – författare

COMPETITION. PERFECTION. DESTRUCTION. ‘A tight, frightening story of friendship, rivalry and obsession, told in sparse and beautiful prose’ Abigail Dean, author of GIRL A ‘Brilliantly observed, beautifully written – it’s quite simply unforgettable’ Alex Michaelides, author of THE SILENT PATIENT and THE MAIDENS A DANGEROUS OBSESSIONMartina wants to be the best gymnast in the world. But so does everyone around her.A TOURNAMENT WITH A DIFFERENCEDuring one week of intense competition, Martina and her teammates are tested to the limit, and any sign of weakness can quickly spell the end.A MURDER IN THE NIGHTBy the end of the week, one of the gymnasts will be dead. Every girl will do anything to win…but at what cost?‘Compelling, harrowing, and ultimately devastating – it’s quite simply unforgettable.’ ALEX MICHAELIDES, author of THE PATIENT‘A tight, frightening story of friendship, rivalry and obsession.’ ABIGAIL DEAN, Sunday Times bestselling author of GIRL A‘Brutal and brilliant – I read it in one sitting.’ HARRIET TYCE, author of BLOOD ORANGE‘A glimpse into a wonderfully dangerous, screwed up world. I couldn’t put it down.’ CESCA MAJOR, author of THE OTHER GIRL

***From the author of The Girls Are Good***'A gripping story of love, death, art and deceit' - Sofka Zinovieff, author of PutneyAn internationally renowned writer, Valeria Costas has dedicated her life to her work and to her secret lover, Martìn Acla, a prominent businessman. When his sudden stroke makes headlines, her world implodes; the idea of losing him is terrifying. Desperate to find a way to be present during her lover's final days, Valeria commissions his artist wife, Isla, to paint her portrait - insinuating herself into Martìn's family home and life. In the grand, chaotic London mansion where the man they share - husband, father, lover - lies in a coma, Valeria and Isla remain poised on the brink, transfixed by one another. Day after day, the two women talk to each other during the sittings, revealing truths, fragilities and strengths. But does Isla know of the writer's long involvement with Martìn? Or that her husband had chosen Valeria for the years ahead? Amidst their own private turmoil, the stories of their lives are exchanged - and as the portrait takes shape, we watch these complex and extraordinary women struggle while the love of their lives departs, in an unforgettable, breathless tale of deception and mystery that captivates until the very end.'A stunning "pas de deux" that is enchanting, thrilling and incredibly moving.' Marie Claire Italia

A universal recipe for when life feels barren. A botanical tale of closeness and caring.Anna is mourning the end of her marriage when she runs into Maria by chance at her mother's gallery in Milan. When Maria suddenly collapses and is taken to hospital, the pair's lives are irrevocably changed.Over the course of the long, dry summer that follows, the pair come together to convalesce. Maria, an avid gardener, observes half-dead plants on Anna's terrace, and finds solace in teaching Anna how to care for them. In doing so, the pair also begin to care for each other's loneliness, and find in the natural world a deeply restorative power – one that will open them up to new love and life.In We Will Be Forest, Ilaria Bernardini draws on a private affair – illness, the end of a marriage, a child to protect – to bring to life a powerful poetic universe in which words sprout like branches and leaves.