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Dark Heart
- Author
- Silvia Avallone
- Narrator
- Jot Davies
- Publisher
- Manilla Press
- Publish Date
- 18 June 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 19 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
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What to expect
'Deeply moving' Woman's Own
An unforgettable, award-winning bestseller - a story of love, guilt, betrayal and atonement
'You can't love someone without knowing their whole story . . .'
Fleeing a pitch-dark past, Emilia Innocenti arrives in a tiny village deep in the mountains of Piedmont, Northern Italy, with one aim; to hide away from the world. Surrounded only by a handful of inhabitants, the looming Alps and the weight of her own terrible crime, Emilia is determined to let isolation be her punishment.
Equally intent on cutting himself off from the world is Bruno, one of her only neighbours. In the wake of a devastating loss, living in complete solitude seems like the perfect complement to the pain in his heart. But when Emilia and Bruno meet, the two realise they can't be alone forever - and maybe, they no longer want to be.
As Emilia's dark secret threatens to break the surface, both will question everything they thought they knew about each other - and themselves . . .
From bestselling Italian literary sensation Silvia Avallone, Dark Heart is the shocking, deeply moving story of trauma, love and forgiveness, set against an unforgettable mountainous backdrop.
'It's no surprise that this urgent, intense, prizewinner sold more than 200,000 hardbacks in Italy with rights snapped up in 27 territories. Avallone is an international sensation' The Bookseller
Readers LOVE Dark Heart (originally published as Cuoro Nero):
'One of the most beautiful and intense books I've ever read'
'This story is a precious gift'
'If you love stories that capture your heart and leave an indelible mark, this is the book for you'
'An extraordinary novel. Unputdownable'
'It captivated me from the first page to the last'
'Undoubtedly one of the best books I've read this year'
Critics Review
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I raced through this novel; it's full of heart, intrigue and lessons in forgiveness . . . A great novel that you will devour on the plane.
Cosmopolitan, Best Summer Reads
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Deeply moving. An absorbing story about guilt, loneliness and the difficult path towards forgiveness.
Woman's Own
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At once devastating and uplifting, Dark Heart is an intense, beautiful story of resilience and hope.
Patrick Charnley, author of This, My Second Life
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Silvia Avallone is an enchantress. She shows you a forest, a house, a girl, then a man. And she asks you to give her your hand and follow her. If you do, she won't let it go until the end. This is the spell of writing.
Niccolò Ammaniti, author of I'm Not Scared
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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A story of strong narrative and moral tension: it explores the search for love, friendship and forgiveness
il Corriere di Bologna
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Two protagonists with difficult but opposite pasts: she is a perpetrator, he is a victim. Their love is unexpected: but what happens when the truth comes to the surface?
F Magazine
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Silvia Avallone
- Narrator
- Jot Davies
- Duration
- 14 hours 19 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781786584731
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- Manilla Press
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Fiction in translation, Thriller / suspense fiction, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: sense of place
Synopsis
'Full of heart, intrigue and lessons in forgiveness . . . A great novel that you will devour' Cosmopolitan Best Summer Reads'Deeply moving' Woman's Own An unforgettable, award-winning bestseller - a story of love, guilt, betrayal and atonement'You can't love someone without knowing their whole story . . .'Fleeing a pitch-dark past, Emilia Innocenti arrives in a tiny village deep in the mountains of Piedmont, Northern Italy, with one aim; to hide away from the world. Surrounded only by a handful of inhabitants, the looming Alps and the weight of her own terrible crime, Emilia is determined to let isolation be her punishment.Equally intent on cutting himself off from the world is Bruno, one of her only neighbours. In the wake of a devastating loss, living in complete solitude seems like the perfect complement to the pain in his heart. But when Emilia and Bruno meet, the two realise they can't be alone forever - and maybe, they no longer want to be.As Emilia's dark secret threatens to break the surface, both will question everything they thought they knew about each other - and themselves . . .From bestselling Italian literary sensation Silvia Avallone, Dark Heart is the shocking, deeply moving story of trauma, love and forgiveness, set against an unforgettable mountainous backdrop.'It's no surprise that this urgent, intense, prizewinner sold more than 200,000 hardbacks in Italy with rights snapped up in 27 territories. Avallone is an international sensation' The Bookseller Readers LOVE Dark Heart (originally published as Cuoro Nero):'One of the most beautiful and intense books I've ever read''This story is a precious gift''If you love stories that capture your heart and leave an indelible mark, this is the book for you''An extraordinary novel. Unputdownable''It captivated me from the first page to the last''Undoubtedly one of the best books I've read this year'
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