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Sarah Moss talks to Chris Power

Ripeness: The Acclaimed Novelist’s New Title

Hay Festival 2026, 

The past comes back to life in this new book about a secret kept for decades. In 1960s Italy, Edith is to support her sister Lydia through the final weeks of her pregnancy. Once the baby is born, she makes a phone call that will change their lives forever. Years later, Edith’s best friend receives an email from a stranger claiming to be her brother and Edith must face the truth of her past to help her friend.

Acclaimed author Sarah Moss is assistant professor of creative writing at University College Dublin. Her previous novels include Ghost Wall and Night Waking. She talks to the Guardian literary critic, Chris Power.