Dive into The Silver Book, an absorbing fictional account that seamlessly blends a queer love story with a true crime thriller set against the backdrop of 1970s Italian cinema. This novel, from an award-winning, bestselling author, investigates the complex relationship between artifice, truth, illusion, and power.

The story begins in September 1974 when an English artist, fleeing London, meets Danilo Donati, the renowned designer for Fellini and Pasolini, in Venice. Swept into the world of Cinecittà, the lovers move from sketching for Fellini’s Casanova to the set of Pasolini’s Salò. Amidst Italy’s ‘Years of Lead,’ secrets surface, setting in motion an unintended tragedy.

• Stylish and seductive narrative exploring the dream factory of 1970s cinema.
• Features characters inspired by real figures in Italian filmmaking, including work on Fellini’s Casanova and Pasolini’s Salò.
• Explores themes of artifice, illusion, love, and power within a historical setting.
• Shortlisted for Blackwell’s Book of the Year 2025 and Runner-Up for the Tadeusz Bradecki Prize 2026.

• Author: Laing, Olivia
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Language: English
• Print Length: 256 pages
• Publication Date: June 4, 2026
• ISBN-10: 1405982292
• ISBN-13: 978-1405982290
• Dimensions: 129 x 18 x 197mm
• Weight: 208g

Perfect for readers who appreciate gripping novels that insert fictional narratives into real historical worlds, The Silver Book offers a technically brilliant and emotionally charged reading experience.