Ripeness by Sarah Moss

In 1960s Italy, a family secret rips a teenage girl's world apart, only for her to discover its true meaning decades later. 'Moss makes every moment count' – The Sunday Times'A book of lasting pleasures' – Eleanor Catton, Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries'Powerful and beautifully written' – The GuardianJust 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, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Room'A delicious novel' – Literary Review'Sublime . .. glorious' – Vogue'Luminous' – Financial Times'Beautifully crafted . 
. absorbing and moving' – Daily Mail

Format:Paperback / softback 304 pages
Publisher:Pan Macmillan
Imprint:Picador
ISBN:9781529035520
Published:28 May 2026
Classifications:Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Historical fiction, Fiction: special features
Weight:216g