by
Venero Armanno
She used to sell her kisses for caramels; her lips went for long licks of licorice and her touch for tangarines and tutti frutti ...
Gabriella moves in next door to 14-year-old Sam and his life changes forever. There are dark secrets within Gabriella's family.
The story is set in Brisbane during the mid 1970's and delves into love and corruption. Firehead is poetic, dark and beautiful but makes you uncomfortable to read parts of it.
The story is told in parts, the first dealing with Sam's turmoil at the arrival of the fiery redheaded Gabriella into the house next door. It explores their relationship up to the discovery of her secret and her disappearance. The story skips ahead to when a grown up Sam finally discovers what became of Gabriella.
Armanno is a brilliant storyteller.