Bitter Leaf

At the heart of the novel is the village of Mannobe and its colourful cast of characters: Babylon, a gifted musician who falls under the spell of the beautiful Jericho who has recently returned from the city; Mabel and M’elle Codon, twin sisters whose lives have taken very different paths; Magdalena, daughter of Mabel, who nurses an unrequited love for Babylon; and Allegory, the wise old man who adheres fiercely to tradition.

Bitterleaf is a richly textured, poetic and evocatively imagined tale about love and loss, parental and filian bonds, and everything in between that makes life bittersweet.