SHORTLISTED: WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022

An achingly beautiful novel of abuse, redemption and hope.

Alethea Lopez is about to turn 40. At work at a fashion boutique in Port of Spain she’s fashionable, feisty and fiercely independent. But behind closed doors she’s covering up bruises from her abusive partner and seeking solace in an affair with her boss.

When Alethea witnesses a woman murdered by a jealous lover, the reality of her own future comes a little too close to home. As she unravels memories repressed since childhood and faces up to the darkness of her relationship, she must understand the person she’s become and decide on the woman she wants to be…

“An extraordinary and emotionally immersive novel – the music of Lisa Allen-Agostini’s writing voice is gloriously specific to Trinidad, yet this heart-wrenching story of a woman both liberated and in need of liberation has universal resonance.” MARGARET BUSBY