Florence, Italy and the hills of Tuscany serve as the backdrop for Out of Her Depth, a menacing psychological thriller from Lizzy Barber.
The novel is told via the intimate, first-person
narrative voice of Rachel, a Brit. At 21-years-old, Rachel travels to Italy for
the summer, working as a maid in a quaint Villa in Florence. Hoping to brush up
on her Italian-language skills before setting off to Cambridge in the fall, working
class Rachel falls in with—and falls under the spell of—a wealthy gal, Diana, who
is shrewd and manipulative…especially when it comes to Sebastian, the rich and very
handsome godson of the Villa's owner, and Valentina, a new recruit to the hotel
staff. A fun, exciting summer filled
with budding friendships--lust and love--suddenly shifts into dark power-plays,
resentments and jealousies.
The story then cuts to twenty years later: Rachel,
now 41-years-old, is a teacher at an exclusive, private school in England who
remains traumatized and haunted by secrets from that one life-changing Italian
holiday. Readers learn that the foursome never again saw each other, and Sebastian
has spent 20 years in prison for a murder that played out that fateful, tragic summer.
What exactly happened? What went wrong?
Barber
(A Girl
Named Anna) suspensefully rolls out details of a surprising friends-to-enemies
story that probes themes of guilt and shame, secrets and regrets. Barber’s skillful storytelling elevates
a traditional beach read into a stunningly deep page-turner.
Out of
Her Depth: A Novel by Lizzy Barber
Mira Books (Original Edition), $16.99 paperback, 9780778386445, 400 pages
Publication Date: July 12, 2022
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