Tasting Sunlight: The breakout bestseller that everyone is talking about

Tasting Sunlight is a powerful and moving novel about the healing power of friendship, love, and acceptance. It follows the story of Sally, a teenage runaway with anorexia, and Liss, a middle-aged woman living alone on a large farm. Despite their differences, they form an unlikely friendship and bond over their shared work on the land. Through their work and connection to nature, they heal each other and face the darkness in their pasts. The novel is praised for its poetic writing, sensory descriptions, and its portrayal of the human spirit.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2022
Publisher: Orenda Books

An extraordinary bond develops between an angry teenage runaway and a middle-aged woman running a large farm on her own, as they work the land and slowly heal each other's wounds. This sublime, achingly beautiful debut is the talk of the town, offering a timely tale of hope, poignant lyricism, and compassionate storytelling.

"Tasting Sunlight" is a truly compassionate and heartening novel that resonates with readers of all ages. Poetic in places, it is highly sensory, evoking the ripening of late summer fruit and the sound of rain on dusty ground. Elizabeth Haynes, in her review for the Irish Times, praises the book for its powerful, original, and engaging nature, stating that it takes a writer of immense talent to make readers feel so intensely through mere evocation.

Susie Boyt, another reviewer, expresses her love for the book, describing it as "powerful, original, and engaging." She praises the author's ability to create characters that feel authentic and relatable, and to weave a story that is both powerful and moving.

Over 600,000 copies of "Tasting Sunlight" have been sold in Germany, and it has been on the German Bestseller List for three years. This remarkable success is a testament to the author's talent and the universal appeal of her storytelling.

The novel follows the journey of teenager Sally, who has just run away from a clinic where she is being treated for anorexia. Furious with everything and everyone, she seeks solitude and wants to be left in peace. However, her path crosses with Liss, a forty-something woman living alone on a large farm that she runs single-handedly. Liss has little contact with the outside world and has no need for other people.

From their first meeting, Sally realizes that Liss is different from other adults. She expects nothing of Sally and simply accepts who she is, offering her a bed for the night with no questions asked. That night becomes weeks, and then months, as an unlikely friendship develops and these two damaged women slowly open up to each other, reconnecting with themselves, and facing the darkness in their pasts through their shared work on the land.

"Tasting Sunlight" is an achingly beautiful, profound, invigorating, and uplifting story of friendship. It explores the complexities of human relationships, the power of resilience, and the healing potential of nature. The characters are well-developed, and their journeys are filled with emotional depth and authenticity. The writing is lyrical and evocative, transporting readers to the heart of the farm and immersing them in the lives of the characters.

In conclusion, "Tasting Sunlight" is a remarkable debut that deserves to be celebrated. It is a compassionate and heartening novel that offers hope, healing, and a reminder of the power of human connection. With its poetic writing, powerful storytelling, and authentic characters, this book will touch the hearts of readers and leave a lasting impression.

Weight: 220g
Dimension: 130 x 197 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914585142