Twice Born

An internationally bestselling, acutely moving story set amidst the atrocities of the Bosnian war, Twice Born masterfully plumbs the depths of love, grief, and the all-consuming power of motherhood. Gemma hasn’t been back to Sarajevo in sixteen years. She returns to teach her son Pietro about the city of his birth and the father he never knew. But the visit brings with it impassioned memories of her love affair with Pietro’s father, their determination to have a child whatever the cost, and their deep connection to the city even as war threatened to destroy it. Brought to life by an unforgettable cast of characters, Twice Born is a tale of the acts of brutality and generosity that war can inspire, and of the bonds of family fused in times of crisis.

Margaret Mazzantini was born in Dublin and now lives in Rome. She trained as an actress but left the stage to concentrate on writing. Her first novel, Don’t Move, won the prestigious Strega Prize, and sold over 2m copies. Twice Born, already a blockbuster in Italy, is optioned for a film starring Penelope Cruz and marks Mazzantini’s arrival as a novelist of serious stature and international significance.