Giuliana is forced to grow up at an early age. When her father loses his job, Giuliana’s family scrambles to find work in their tiny Italian town. Giuliana thinks she’s lucky when she’s chosen as a worker in a nearby cornfield. She doesn’t realize that it’s all a ruse by the odious foreman, who takes advantage of the isolation to viciously attack her. She is only twelve.
Gina Iafrate’s new novel examines the psychological trauma of abuse and the long and slow healing process. Giuliana is ashamed to tell anyone what has happened but realizes that the foreman is not going to stop. She knows that she has to be brave enough to stand up to him and expose him as the monster he is.
As Giuliana crusades for justice and finds a new purpose in life, she comes of age and experiences the disappointments and tragedies of the world. A fresh chance at love gives her new life, but can she truly be happy? Or will forces beyond her control succeed in breaking them apart?
Readers will be deeply moved by this evocative portrait of the many different kinds of love in the midst of unimaginable pain.
