Translations (Paperback)
Preorder from
From a dazzling new voice in British fiction: a nuanced and blistering portrait of the growing pains of young womanhood, for fans of Enter Ghost, Martyr!, and The Coin
'Breathless, bold, searching and passionate. A really remarkable debut' Samantha Harvey
Arriving in Tel Aviv in May, 2014, Lila Ruth is forced to admit that the gap year she had planned isn't going to happen. Her dream of a summer spent on a kibbutz, living and working under the desert sun, is quickly dashed.
Unwilling to retreat home and scrabbling for a new plan, she accepts an unusual gig from an older man: she will spend the summer translating his novel from Hebrew - a language she doesn't speak - into English. The project becomes an exercise in finding and making meaning, opening up dangerous cracks in Lila Ruth's understanding of herself and of the world.
Desperate for connection, she finds herself roaming across Israel and Palestine - and, suddenly, falling in love. But love alone is not salvation; to survive this summer Lila Ruth must finally reckon with the choices she's made.
'A beautifully written and smartly executed debut that has the potential of becoming a coming-of-age classic' Kathy Burke
Translations (Ebook)
Preorder from
From a dazzling new voice in British fiction: a nuanced and blistering portrait of the growing pains of young womanhood, for fans of Enter Ghost, Martyr!, and The Coin
'Breathless, bold, searching and passionate. A really remarkable debut' Samantha Harvey
Arriving in Tel Aviv in May, 2014, Lila Ruth is forced to admit that the gap year she had planned isn't going to happen. Her dream of a summer spent on a kibbutz, living and working under the desert sun, is quickly dashed.
Unwilling to retreat home and scrabbling for a new plan, she accepts an unusual gig from an older man: she will spend the summer translating his novel from Hebrew - a language she doesn't speak - into English. The project becomes an exercise in finding and making meaning, opening up dangerous cracks in Lila Ruth's understanding of herself and of the world.
Desperate for connection, she finds herself roaming across Israel and Palestine - and, suddenly, falling in love. But love alone is not salvation; to survive this summer Lila Ruth must finally reckon with the choices she's made.
'A beautifully written and smartly executed debut that has the potential of becoming a coming-of-age classic' Kathy Burke
Siofra Dromgoole
Siofra Dromgoole works as a bookseller at John Sandoe Books. She has written for theatre, film, TV, and radio: her award-nominated plays have been performed to critical acclaim nationally and internationally; her most recent play After Sex was published by Methuen. In 2025, her new translation of Eugene Onegin toured the UK, playing at Holland Park Opera House ('Excellent' – The Times). Her book of poetry Goodbye Scarecrow was published by the San Mei Gallery, and she is currently co-writing a queer vampire western for the BBC. The Book of Lila Ruth is her debut novel.