This is the earliest of the tragic love story theme which can be seen in several of my novels eg Occasion of Sin (1982) and One Summer (2006)

The title, Lilacs out of the Dead Land, is taken from The Waste Land by T.S.Eliot. The love story is between April, a young woman and an older married man, Lawrence. Most of the story is set in Sicily which I knew quite well at the time. It also combines a strong thriller element. As their affair becomes more and more painful, April leaves Lawrence to spend three angry and terrifying days wandering in the sultry Sicilian countryside. The climax is filled with violence but also leads to a less terrible resolution.

‘How Rachel Billington can write. Strong, absorbing and perceptive.’ Sunday Express

‘It’s a novel about sexuality… its sexuality never becomes dehumanized.’ Daily Telegraph

‘She writes fluently and vividly.’ Spectator

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  Occasion of Sin
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  One Summer