From 1960s Italy to present-day Ireland, Ripeness is the story of a family secret that rips a teenage girl's world apart, only for her to discover its true meaning decades later.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Summerwater, Sarah Moss.
'Moss makes every moment count' - The Sunday Times 'A book of lasting pleasures' - Eleanor Catton 'Powerful and beautifully written' - The Guardian
Just out of school and teetering on the brink of adulthood, Edith is sent alone to rural Italy. Her task is simple: support her sister Lydia, a brilliant but brittle ballet dancer, through the final weeks of her pregnancy. Once the baby is born, she is to make a phone call that will change all of their lives forever.
Decades later, Edith is living a contented life in Ireland, happily divorced and finally free. But with the arrival of an unexpected message, Edith must face the truth of that long-ago summer, and the secret she has carried for a lifetime.
‘Tender and rueful’ - Emma Donoghue 'A delicious novel' - Literary Review 'Sublime . . . glorious' - Vogue 'Luminous' - Financial Times 'Beautifully crafted . . . absorbing and moving' - Daily Mail
