Catherine Banner was born in Cambridge and began writing at the age of fourteen, signing her first publishing deal shortly after sitting her final GCSE. She went on to study English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. While working as a teacher in the north of England she began to research and write The House at the Edge of Night, her debut adult novel. She now lives in Turin, northern Italy, with her husband.
Sensual attention to detail builds a world of bougainvillea terraces serving limoncello - to say it's atmospheric would be an understatement. Ten years ago, my top holiday read was Victoria Hislop's The Island; this summer's great escape belongs to Catherine Banner - utterly mesmerising from start to finish, even if you're nowhere near a sun lounger. The Pool Readers, prepare to be captivated. This is an evocatively written, enchanting tale filled with richly depicted characters. The House at the End of Night has been compared to Joanne Harris's Chocolat and Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres and Banner's tale can confidently take its place on the bookshelves alongside those novels as it, too, transports us to a magical, enthralling world Independent Ireland A luminous homage to the Italian tradition of storytelling ... a lusty page-turner that weaves romance, rivalry and the intricacies of family expectations into one glorious tale. There are echoes of Italo Calvino in Banner's writing-echoes of admiration and love. Reading The House at the Edge of Night is like falling into a fantastical world where time stands still, yet change happens at an unimaginable pace. Minneapolis Star Tribune Superb storytelling Irish Examiner