The Wedding Gift

Set in the Deep South pre Gone with the Wind and the Civil War, The Wedding Gift is a compelling and powerful story of slavery, abuse and passion. Perfect for fans of The Help.

Sarah Campbell has always known she was different.

A slave at Allen Estates, Alabama, and the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner Mr Allen, she's used to the other children's jibes, her mother's night-time trips to Mr Allen and, to her delight, her furtive literacy lessons with her white half-sister Clarissa.

Slowly, using her forbidden knowledge of reading and writing, Sarah plots an escape to the north and freedom. But Sarah's life is turned upside-down when she learns she will be given to Clarissa's cruel, soon-to-be-husband as a wedding gift, becoming his property.

Sarah knows this could be her last chance to escape for good. But will her secret skills and unrelenting willpower be enough to set her free?

'Bodden's absorbing page-turner maintains its suspense right up to the final pages.' — Sunday Express