The Cursed Friend

By: Beatrice Salvioni, Elena Pala - translator

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

An unbreakable, life-changing friendship will lead two young girls from different worlds to rebel against the sexism, prejudice and injustice they face living in 1930s Italy in this moving novel that echoes the spirit Elena Ferrante's beloved works.

'Richly imagined' OBSERVER

'A widescreen, sensory, visual story' THE TIMES

It is 1936 in the small Italian city of Monza. On the pebbled bank of the Lambro, two frantic girls scramble to hide a body.

A year earlier, Maddalena attracts stares everywhere she goes. ‘The Cursed One’, they whisper, as tales of the harm she’s inflicted upon those that have crossed her ignite fear and scorn amongst the townspeople.

Francesca is not scared like the others. Respectable, well-behaved and yearning for a life beyond provincial conformity, she is drawn to Maddalena’s rebellious spirit. When, one day, she finds herself telling a lie to save her, this split-second decision irrevocably binds the girls together.

From this moment on they will go to any length to protect one another, even if that leads to a terrible violence…

Translated from the Italian by Elena Pala

'Salvioni's prose is transfixing and visceral' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Heart-rendingly tender and fiercely defiant’ HESTER MUSSON

©2024 Beatrice Salvioni (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'A widescreen, sensory, visual story that starts with an edge-of-your-seat, crowd-pleasing trick … The characters are big and colourful' The Times

'Francesca and Maddalena are vibrant characters for whom we quickly root. Their central relationship and cruel initiation into the world of men is richly imagined. I’m excited to read what Beatrice does next' Observer

‘Salvioni’s skilful rendering of a female friendship — full of intimacy, admiration, strength, betrayal — has echoes of Elena Ferrante, Natalia Ginzburg and Alba de Céspedes’ Financial Times

'Salvioni’s fast-paced narrative forges an intense yet timeless tale of female friendship' New Statesman

'This debut grips your soul and never lets go’ Le Point

‘A little gem that proves that Italian women's literature is undergoing a revolution’ Vogue Spain

‘The intensity of the writing, the tight, believable dialogue … the visceral and powerful friendship between two different but connected young girls. Brings to mind Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend’ La Repubblica

‘Bloody, unapologetic, and wild … I loved it!’ Naomi Krupitsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Family

‘From its opening pages, The Cursed Friend grabs the reader’s attention and doesn’t let go’ Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, the Sea

‘In her gripping novel set in fascist Italy, and in the tradition of Elsa Morante and Natalia Ginzburg, Beatrice Salvioni gives powerful voice to the female experience in Italy’ Jenny McPhee, author of The Center of Things