A debut novel which packs a heart-stopping punch. Sixteen year old twins Hephzi and Rebecca are about as different from each other as they could be; Hephzi is beautiful and bold, Rebecca suffers from disfigurement and is shy. But the twins are united in a dreadful fate and their attempts to escape from it. The daughters of a vicar, they both suffer a life of torment at his hands. A torment with no end. When Hepzi dies, Rebecca is alone for the first time in her life and she knows she must find a way out. In intertwined stories, each girl tells a part of this poignant whole.
Please note that this book contains references to sexual abuse.
They tried to make me go to my sister's funeral today. In the end I'd had to give in ...I'd been walking in her shadow for sixteen years and I liked its cool darkness. It was a good place to hide . How would you feel if your twin sister died suddenly? Particularly if she was the beautiful one and you were horribly disfigured. And how would it feel to be alone now if you and your sister were the only ones to know the truth about what takes place behind closed doors at home? And what would you do if it was your parents who brought danger and terror into your life? Would you dare reveal how your sister died? And would you be brave enough to find an escape of your own? Black Heart Blue is a powerful novel about the domestic horrors that can unfold within a small community - and one girl's quest to stand up for the truth.
Louisa Reid is 35 years old, married with two young daughters and currently teaches English in a girls' school in Cambridge. She is originally from Cheshire, studied English at Oxford and has lived in London and Zurich. Her pupils are definitely not the inspiration for her characters in her novels but witnessing their passion for great fiction inspired her to write for young adults.
