Sarah Day's MUSSOLINI'S ISLAND is a novel of sexuality & desire of hidden passions & the secrets we keep locked within us Based on the true story of the rounding up of a group of Sicilian gay men in 1939 this book is sure to appeal to readers of the Elena Ferrante novels Anthony Doerr's ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE or Virginia Baily's EARLY ONE MORNING'A fascinating debutthe setting & characters are strong & the story is written with verve Day is a talent to watch'
- The Times Francesco has a memory of his father from early childhood a night when life for his family changed From that night he has vowed to protect his mother & to follow the words of his father Non mollare Never give up As Francesco is herded into a camp on the island of San Domino he realises that someone must have handed a list of names to the fascist police Locked in spartan dormitories resentment & bitterness between the men grows each day Elena an illiterate island girl is drawn to the handsome Francesco Sometimes she is given a message to pass on She's not sure who they are from; she knows simply that Francesco is hiding something When Elena discovers the truth about the group of prisoners the fine line between love & hate pulls her towards an act that can only have terrible consequences for all