The Road to Urbino - Couverture souple

"Every act has a past. Events don't just materialise from nowhere"

The exile, the stolen painting and the most unlikely of witnesses - Elizabeth Saunders is trying to link the three things in order to defend her client, Ras, from a charge of terrorism. When Elizabeth's investigations lead her to the pampered, amoral Alex Benson she is baffled by the extraordinary story unfolding before her. From a draughty British prison cell Ras dreams of seeing his daughter and struggles to navigate the alien culture alone. In order to get to the truth he will be forced to go beyond the hills of northern Italy to a past where war's shadow is long and cold, and he has no choice but to take action.

'A finely-crafted novel of art, memory and migration'
Lucy Scholes, Independent

'Tearne's training as a painter shows in the subtle descriptions that fill each page with lyrical power, and the beautiful detail that provides a respite from the emotional desolation each character struggles with. This could be devastating, but in Tearne's skilled and sensitive hands the effect is softened, almost redemptive, making the novel a satisfying read'
Anna Stopes, Independent on Sunday

'Tearne charts the patterns of love and loss with beautiful prose'
Francesca Angelini, Sunday Times

A story of obsession, love and art set in Tuscany, Sri Lanka and London.

Ras, a Sri Lankan who fled his country as a child following the violent death of his mother and his father's disappearance, has committed a crime. Dogged by his past and unable to come to terms with the killing of his mother, he struggles to make a new life for himself in the UK.

Alex has loved Dee since he was 19 but failed to realise that it was a love he wouldn't find again. After Dee's marriage, he too struggles to build a meaningful life for himself.

But when Ras' and Alex's lives connect, each man takes a new path culminating for Ras in the theft of a della Franceso painting, while Alex comes ever closer to Dee through tragedy in her life.

Beautifully written, with a strong narrative, The Road to Urbino is the story of two very different men and their love for the women in their lives, set against the backdrop of the heartbreaking horrors of the long-running conflict in Sri Lanka.