Ruby Red - Tapa dura

Praise for The Year the Gypsies Came:

'Wonderful . . . This is a new book with an old and wise heart. It may very well have the makings of a classic' – Guardian

'Beautifully, powerfully and compellingly written . . . extraordinarily moving' – Sunday Times

'This outstanding first novel arcs beautifully to its terrible climax and is deeply moving' – Observer

'Every now and then a book comes along that's unusual, compelling and deeply absorbing yet is so tragically simple, it leaves an indelible trace on the memory. The Year the Gypsies Came is one of these' – Irish Independent

'A beautifully evoked, exquisitely written novel' – Sunday Telegraph

In Ruby Winters' world, colour opens some doors and slams others shut. Her opulent Johannesburg neighbourhood is a far cry from the streets of Soweto where anger and hatred simmer under the surface.

Ruby can’t resist the blue-eyed Afrikaans boy who brings her the exciting rush of first love, but whose presence brings hushed whispers and disapproving glances. She might not see race, colour or creed – but it seems everybody else does.

For Ruby, making some choices means letting others go, and as the darkness begins to descend, she must find a way to follow a brighter path . . .

This dazzling novel will entrance teenage and adult readers alike.