img

Desert of the Heart

Jane Rule

Jackie Kay

This was the freedom she wanted, an animal freedom exposed to the emptiness of sky and land and water. As she stepped forward, Ann flipped into the water and was gone.

Evelyn Hall, running from her disastrous marriage of sixteen years, arrives in the neon-lit desert heat of 1950s Reno - the only place in America where she can apply for a quick divorce. Arriving at her guesthouse she meets free-spirited Ann Childs, a casino 'change girl' fifteen years her junior. Overwhelmed by both the vast, lonely beauty of the Nevada desert and her magnetic attraction to Ann, Evelyn must gamble all her own certainties and conventions to win a new kind of freedom.

Bold, witty and shimmering with desire, this groundbreaking 60s novel is an unforgettable queer classic.

INTRODUCED BY JACKIE KAY

'An undisputed lesbian classic' SARAH WATERS
'Intelligent and utterly believable' JOYCE CAROL OATES
'Brave, bold and brilliant' JACKIE KAY

  • Classification : General & Literary Fiction
  • Pub Date : JAN 22, 2026
  • Imprint : Virago
  • Page Extent : 256
  • Binding : PB
  • ISBN : 9780349020877
  • Price : INR 699
image

Jane Rule

image

Jackie Kay

Jackie Kay is a Scottish poet and novelist, and was the Makar - the poet laureate of Scotland - from 2016-2021. She is the author of a number of works, including The Adoption Papers, Trumpet and Red Dust Road. Faber & Faber reissued her biography of the blues singer Bessie Smith in 2021. The recipient of numerous prizes, she was also twice shortlisted for the Scottish Book of the Year Award. She is currently chancellor of the University of Salford, and divides her time between Glasgow and Manchester. @JackieKayPoet

Discover more books

To search by Publisher, Imprint, Category and Subject, please use Advanced Search