Marble Gardens

When her child is in danger, a woman will break all the rules . . .

Sophie and Riba have known each other since childhood. They've played, fought, shared traumas and bedded their lives in the substance of friendship. Though they couldn't be more different - Sophie is elegant and diffident, while Riba is flamboyantly extrovert - the bond between them seems unbreakable.

Then Riba's teenaged daughter Zelda falls gravely ill. Frustrated by the limitations of conventional medicine, Riba pins all her hopes on alternative methods. Sophie is torn between her loyalty to her friend and her fear that Zelda, whom she loves like the child she cannot have, will not get the help she desperately needs. United in their distress, Sophie and Riba's husband Brian find themselves drawn to each other.

Time is running out for Zelda, for two marriages, and for a friendship . . .

Deirdre Purcell explores in 'Marble Gardens' themes of friendship, marriage, children and the impact on those around us of the choices we make. With her strong and original voice, she beautifully conveys the dilemmas and dangers of contemporary life.