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Dark is the Morning
Sometimes love isn't where you belong
In a small town in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Gino, a troubled young man, realises that his childhood sweetheart Franca can give his life the happiness and stability he needs. They seem made for each other, and move to a remote house in the countryside. Franca soon gives birth to a son so handsome that people come from miles around to see him - but his sheer beauty causes Gino to doubt that he is truly the boy's father.
Descending into pathological jealousy and resentment towards a married man who had been Franca's lover, Gino is unable to stop himself imagining the worst, and embarks on a violent path that has catastrophic effects on those around him.
In a small town in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Gino, a troubled young man, realises that his childhood sweetheart Franca can give his life the happiness and stability he needs. They seem made for each other, and move to a remote house in the countryside. Franca soon gives birth to a son so handsome that people come from miles around to see him - but his sheer beauty causes Gino to doubt that he is truly the boy's father.
Descending into pathological jealousy and resentment towards a married man who had been Franca's lover, Gino is unable to stop himself imagining the worst, and embarks on a violent path that has catastrophic effects on those around him.
- GenresFiction
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
About the author
Rupert Thomson
32 books335 followersRupert Thomson, (born November 5, 1955) is an English writer. He is the author of thirteen critically acclaimed novels and an award-winning memoir. He has lived in many cities around the world, including Athens, Berlin, New York, Sydney, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Rome. In 2010, after several years in Barcelona, he moved back to London. He has contributed to the Financial Times, the Guardian, the London Review of Books, Granta, and the Independent.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 23, 2026
A melancholy marvel. Evocative and well written. Simple but effective.
June 13, 2026
Dark is the Morning is a beautifully simple tale in which we follow Gino and Franca, a young Italian couple from the small town of Abruzzo but move to a farmhouse. It's not long before Franca give birth to a handsome baby boy. But Gino has severe doubts as to whether he is truly the father and soon decends into a fever of jealousy and obsession, that's sure to end in catastrophe.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So I must admit, this isn't my typical reas. But I'm a firm believer that authors should have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as possible and on this occasion, I'm incredibly glad I did.
This was a refreshing change for me.
It's intense, moody and haunting, with a wonderfully colourful, descriptive story. So much so that you really can see the sights, smell the smells and hear the sounds.
It's tender, it's tragic, it's dark and compelling.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So I must admit, this isn't my typical reas. But I'm a firm believer that authors should have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as possible and on this occasion, I'm incredibly glad I did.
This was a refreshing change for me.
It's intense, moody and haunting, with a wonderfully colourful, descriptive story. So much so that you really can see the sights, smell the smells and hear the sounds.
It's tender, it's tragic, it's dark and compelling.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
May 15, 2026
A simple and engaging story about a young Italian couple set in Abruzzo. The Italian setting fits well with the themes of jealousy, obsession and superstition. It has something of Donatella Di Pietrantonio, also because of the strong main female character Franca.
It reads very easily, the plot is intriguing and drives the novel. I thought the emotional side could have been explored more (for instance Julian Barnes' exploration of (retroactive) jealousy is much more interesting and in depth).
But overall a good and entertaining work.
It reads very easily, the plot is intriguing and drives the novel. I thought the emotional side could have been explored more (for instance Julian Barnes' exploration of (retroactive) jealousy is much more interesting and in depth).
But overall a good and entertaining work.
November 17, 2025
2.5✨
This was an ARC read, so perhaps it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. I went in thinking it would be tense, suspenseful and building up to something big. It fell flat for me. The first 60%, not a lot happened in the plot. Everything happened quite quickly towards the end. I also didn’t really warm to the characters.
This was an ARC read, so perhaps it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. I went in thinking it would be tense, suspenseful and building up to something big. It fell flat for me. The first 60%, not a lot happened in the plot. Everything happened quite quickly towards the end. I also didn’t really warm to the characters.
May 20, 2026
Gino, is a young man with a troubled past, which almost everyone in his mountain village in Abruzzo, Italy, is familiar with. He becomes convinced that the only person who can give him the happiness he needs is Franca, the girl he has not seen since his childhood - the one who told him at nine years old that they would marry. Reconnecting with Franca seems like the most natural thing in the world, and they fall into a romance, certain they are destined for each other.
They settle into married life in a remote farmhouse, and Franca quickly falls pregnant. This should be the happiest time of their lives, but Gino is struggling with the recent death of his father, and when their son is born he cannot comprehend how such a beautiful, magnetic child as Elio could possibly be his. Unable to reconcile himself to fatherhood, dark thoughts begin to rise in Gino's mind, fuelled by suspicion that Franca's former married lover is the father of their child... and his jealously leads him into violence.
The novel begins, and ends, with chapters written from the perspective of Harry, a Brit who purchased a holiday home in Abruzzo when Gino was a child, and who had been friends with his father. In between, the story ebbs and flows through Gino's eyes, as he descends from happiness into destructive acts sparked by his obsession with Franca's ex lover. The structure works really well by immersing you in an almost stream of consciousness mental breakdown of a young man shaped by the difficult relationship he has with his own father, sandwiched between a prophetic prologue and viscerally affecting epilogue through the eyes of an outsider.
This is the kind of novel that slowly gets its claws into you. I gradually found myself completely immersed in Gino's transformation from hopeful lover to someone tortured by his inner thoughts. It is an uncomfortable experience being inside his head as he careers into a breakdown, but it is impossible to look away.
The title captures the tone of this novel beautifully, but there are moments of tenderness and friendship woven into the story that really show Thomson's skill in balancing light and shade - even if human frailty is the overwhelming theme. I especially admired the way his male characters are portrayed, with their inability to express emotion in a healthy way - though do not expect to find the same insight in his female characters, even Franca, who we only ever see through the gaze of Gino or Harry.
There is a fascinating thread of speculative wonder that runs through the novel in respect of Gino and Franca's child, with the occasional clever use of symbolism. Thomson has the ability to evoke a tangible feeling of place in this little corner of Italy that is astonishingly atmospheric too.
I was not sure what to expect of this book, but it has left with great respect for a writer (apparently one of David Bowie's favourite authors) who has not previously been on my radar. This one will stay with me for a long time.
They settle into married life in a remote farmhouse, and Franca quickly falls pregnant. This should be the happiest time of their lives, but Gino is struggling with the recent death of his father, and when their son is born he cannot comprehend how such a beautiful, magnetic child as Elio could possibly be his. Unable to reconcile himself to fatherhood, dark thoughts begin to rise in Gino's mind, fuelled by suspicion that Franca's former married lover is the father of their child... and his jealously leads him into violence.
The novel begins, and ends, with chapters written from the perspective of Harry, a Brit who purchased a holiday home in Abruzzo when Gino was a child, and who had been friends with his father. In between, the story ebbs and flows through Gino's eyes, as he descends from happiness into destructive acts sparked by his obsession with Franca's ex lover. The structure works really well by immersing you in an almost stream of consciousness mental breakdown of a young man shaped by the difficult relationship he has with his own father, sandwiched between a prophetic prologue and viscerally affecting epilogue through the eyes of an outsider.
This is the kind of novel that slowly gets its claws into you. I gradually found myself completely immersed in Gino's transformation from hopeful lover to someone tortured by his inner thoughts. It is an uncomfortable experience being inside his head as he careers into a breakdown, but it is impossible to look away.
The title captures the tone of this novel beautifully, but there are moments of tenderness and friendship woven into the story that really show Thomson's skill in balancing light and shade - even if human frailty is the overwhelming theme. I especially admired the way his male characters are portrayed, with their inability to express emotion in a healthy way - though do not expect to find the same insight in his female characters, even Franca, who we only ever see through the gaze of Gino or Harry.
There is a fascinating thread of speculative wonder that runs through the novel in respect of Gino and Franca's child, with the occasional clever use of symbolism. Thomson has the ability to evoke a tangible feeling of place in this little corner of Italy that is astonishingly atmospheric too.
I was not sure what to expect of this book, but it has left with great respect for a writer (apparently one of David Bowie's favourite authors) who has not previously been on my radar. This one will stay with me for a long time.
May 12, 2026
Rupert Thomson is a poet of discomfort - from characters whose physical and mental engagement with the world disturbs them, to the queasy feelings his work generates in the reader - from the characters divided by the medieval humors in Divided Kingdom to the police officer guarding the body of one of Britain’s most notorious criminals in Death of A Murderer.
His latest Italian-set novel mines this territory of unease to great effect. Gino, whose story this is, enters as a young man with a chequered past and present: a petty criminal and delinquent, recovering from a spell in a psychiatric hospital. He reconnects with childhood sweet Franca, and a childhood story about being fated to marry is quickly embraced by both.
If Thomson has a theme in this it’s the fragility of the happiness we build with other people, and how it is our own actions that often destroy it. Gino and Franca marry, move into a new home, and soon have a son, Elio who appears to have an almost supernatural effect on those who see him. Gino becomes convinced that something happened in Franca’s past, and his inability to move past this thought leads to tragic outcomes.
This novel has many strengths: the vividness of its Italian setting, from the tomatoes grown by Gino’s father to the many descriptions of the landscapes at dusk - such a Thomson part of the day. The turns that the novel almost makes into fate and myth, while staying within a realist setting; and the queasiness that Gino experiences whenever he sees his son, make this a deliciously slippery and unsettling read.
Honest review provided in exchange for an ARC by Netgalley.
His latest Italian-set novel mines this territory of unease to great effect. Gino, whose story this is, enters as a young man with a chequered past and present: a petty criminal and delinquent, recovering from a spell in a psychiatric hospital. He reconnects with childhood sweet Franca, and a childhood story about being fated to marry is quickly embraced by both.
If Thomson has a theme in this it’s the fragility of the happiness we build with other people, and how it is our own actions that often destroy it. Gino and Franca marry, move into a new home, and soon have a son, Elio who appears to have an almost supernatural effect on those who see him. Gino becomes convinced that something happened in Franca’s past, and his inability to move past this thought leads to tragic outcomes.
This novel has many strengths: the vividness of its Italian setting, from the tomatoes grown by Gino’s father to the many descriptions of the landscapes at dusk - such a Thomson part of the day. The turns that the novel almost makes into fate and myth, while staying within a realist setting; and the queasiness that Gino experiences whenever he sees his son, make this a deliciously slippery and unsettling read.
Honest review provided in exchange for an ARC by Netgalley.
November 14, 2025
I’ve no idea why the British novelist, Rupert Thomson, isn’t better known. He’s the author of 13 critically acclaimed novels and he writes beautifully.
This novel is set in Abruzzo in Italy in the early 2000s. It is the sad and poignant story of the relationship between Gino and Franca, the corrosive power of his jealousy, the impact which the birth of their son has on Gino and the tragic events which this sets in train.
It’s narrated in the first person by Gino with chapters at the beginning and end narrated by a British ex-pat, Harry, who has a house in the area and is a friend of Gino’s.
I loved:
- the evocation of the wild and mountainous landscapes of Abruzzo;
- the writer’s obvious affinity with the food and culture of the area, including the strawberry festival at Nemi;
- that there is something of a fairy tale or fable about the book emphasised by the references to Roman mythology and the other worldly character of Gino and Franca’s baby;
- the portrayal of Gino’s difficult relationship with his father.
However, I was less convinced by the chapters narrated by Harry which bookend the novel. I wasn’t sure what his perspective was meant to add to the story and I found the sections about his relationship with his wife to be a bit of a digression in what is a very compelling and pacy narrative which reads very quickly. For me it would have been an even stronger book, if we also heard directly from Franca.
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.
This novel is set in Abruzzo in Italy in the early 2000s. It is the sad and poignant story of the relationship between Gino and Franca, the corrosive power of his jealousy, the impact which the birth of their son has on Gino and the tragic events which this sets in train.
It’s narrated in the first person by Gino with chapters at the beginning and end narrated by a British ex-pat, Harry, who has a house in the area and is a friend of Gino’s.
I loved:
- the evocation of the wild and mountainous landscapes of Abruzzo;
- the writer’s obvious affinity with the food and culture of the area, including the strawberry festival at Nemi;
- that there is something of a fairy tale or fable about the book emphasised by the references to Roman mythology and the other worldly character of Gino and Franca’s baby;
- the portrayal of Gino’s difficult relationship with his father.
However, I was less convinced by the chapters narrated by Harry which bookend the novel. I wasn’t sure what his perspective was meant to add to the story and I found the sections about his relationship with his wife to be a bit of a digression in what is a very compelling and pacy narrative which reads very quickly. For me it would have been an even stronger book, if we also heard directly from Franca.
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Gino seems to have everything. He’s recovered from a period confined to a psychiatric hospital as a result of an act of violence he carried out, he’s living a mostly drug free life, he has a good job, and has been reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Franca. Their love for each other has been rekindled, they have found the perfect house in a beautiful location and Franca has given birth to their son, Elio.
But Gino is a man who seems bent on self-destruction, perpetually going over in his mind his father’s criticisms of his inadequacy and shortcomings. Gino is unable to rid himself of the idea that he cannot possibly be the father of a baby as astoundingly beautiful as Elio, examining his own features in the mirror and finding no similarity. ‘I was looking for my son’s face in my own, and I could find no trace of it. It wasn’t there.’ Unable – or unwilling through an innate paranoia – to accept Franca’s assurances that she has not been unfaithful, he begins to stalk the man he believes to be Elio’s father, a man with his own reputation for violence. Increasingly afflicted by disturbing dreams and unable to control his feelings of jealousy, Gino commits a devastating act from which there is no going back.
There is a pervasive sense of unease throughout the book, manifested by things such as a mysterious and unexplained episode in the life of the house’s previous owner. On the other hand, there are wonderful descriptions of the landscape of Abruzzo, Italian food and wine. Dark is the Morning is a slow burn of a novel but one which gradually builds to a crescendo. It’s dark but also sad because you’re left with a lingering sense of what could have been for Gino, Franca and Elio.
But Gino is a man who seems bent on self-destruction, perpetually going over in his mind his father’s criticisms of his inadequacy and shortcomings. Gino is unable to rid himself of the idea that he cannot possibly be the father of a baby as astoundingly beautiful as Elio, examining his own features in the mirror and finding no similarity. ‘I was looking for my son’s face in my own, and I could find no trace of it. It wasn’t there.’ Unable – or unwilling through an innate paranoia – to accept Franca’s assurances that she has not been unfaithful, he begins to stalk the man he believes to be Elio’s father, a man with his own reputation for violence. Increasingly afflicted by disturbing dreams and unable to control his feelings of jealousy, Gino commits a devastating act from which there is no going back.
There is a pervasive sense of unease throughout the book, manifested by things such as a mysterious and unexplained episode in the life of the house’s previous owner. On the other hand, there are wonderful descriptions of the landscape of Abruzzo, Italian food and wine. Dark is the Morning is a slow burn of a novel but one which gradually builds to a crescendo. It’s dark but also sad because you’re left with a lingering sense of what could have been for Gino, Franca and Elio.
June 3, 2026
I requested this on NetGalley UK far too long ago and it sat on way to be read for awhile
This is a story of Gino and his relationship with childhood sweet car Franco they lose touch after childhood and meet again as adults . Gino has lived a troubled young adult life is it possible for Franco to rehabilitate him? All seems to be going well until they have a baby and the baby doesn’t look like Gino.
Initial past the story as a naturalistic relationship Story however once the baby was born, it all becomes a bit odd with a baby having such incredible beauty that people travel from miles around to see him. I found this section more difficult to enjoy as it was a little far-fetched.
The setting in Italy is incredibly atmospheric
I found the characters rather,unlikeable and I couldn’t find myself warming to them
What I thought I wasn’t really enjoying this novel I like the first part more than the rest of the book
I didn’t like the book art. It would not have drawn me to this book. I’ve seen it in a bookshop.
I read a copy of the novel on Amazon UK. The book was published in the UK on the 7th of May 2020 by head of Zeus/Apollo.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionic SarahSbooks.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones online.
This is a story of Gino and his relationship with childhood sweet car Franco they lose touch after childhood and meet again as adults . Gino has lived a troubled young adult life is it possible for Franco to rehabilitate him? All seems to be going well until they have a baby and the baby doesn’t look like Gino.
Initial past the story as a naturalistic relationship Story however once the baby was born, it all becomes a bit odd with a baby having such incredible beauty that people travel from miles around to see him. I found this section more difficult to enjoy as it was a little far-fetched.
The setting in Italy is incredibly atmospheric
I found the characters rather,unlikeable and I couldn’t find myself warming to them
What I thought I wasn’t really enjoying this novel I like the first part more than the rest of the book
I didn’t like the book art. It would not have drawn me to this book. I’ve seen it in a bookshop.
I read a copy of the novel on Amazon UK. The book was published in the UK on the 7th of May 2020 by head of Zeus/Apollo.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionic SarahSbooks.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones online.
October 25, 2025
Dark is the Morning is the latest novel from the British born novelist Rupert Thomson. He has been writing since the late 1980s but only more recently seems to have been gaining critical attention, with the publication in 2023 of How to Make a Bomb (U.S. title Dartmouth Park).
This latest novel, befitting a man who has lived in various parts of the world, is set in Italy, where 9 year old schoolgirl Franca has told schoolfriend Gino that she will marry him one day - but when this prophecy comes true, there is something in her past which sends Gino towards madness. This short novel gripped me throughout, with engaging characters and situations. I read it in one breathless sitting, drawn on by Thomson's prose.
This is the second of his works which I have now read, and I will be seeking out more of his works off the back of this one, which is high praise indeed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
This latest novel, befitting a man who has lived in various parts of the world, is set in Italy, where 9 year old schoolgirl Franca has told schoolfriend Gino that she will marry him one day - but when this prophecy comes true, there is something in her past which sends Gino towards madness. This short novel gripped me throughout, with engaging characters and situations. I read it in one breathless sitting, drawn on by Thomson's prose.
This is the second of his works which I have now read, and I will be seeking out more of his works off the back of this one, which is high praise indeed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Fans of Ian McEwan and narrators that slowly descend into psychosis… do I have a read for you!
I decided to have a browse on NetGalley as I wanted to read something on my Kindle (when I’m at my partner’s house, he goes to sleep early and I don’t wanna have to go to the living room, so, yanno)
I randomly chose this book, and I’m shocked that I had never heard of Rupert Thomson before. His writing really reminded me of Ian McEwan, but without the political angle. I literally raced through this in a few hours, it was so spectacular.
This story centers on a man named Gino, a former addict who’s approaching his mid-thirties in small-town Italy. Eager to escape his father’s griping and wanting to make something of his life, he decides to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart, Franca. The majority of the story details their fairy-tale romance, following the pair as they fall in love, redo a country house, have a baby, etc…. But Gino’s intense jealousy over a previous fling of Franca’s begins to consume all of his thoughts, threatening to derail their lives (and spoiler….by God, does it…)
I haven’t read a novel this immersive in a while. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and will definitely be pursuing more books by Thomson.
Thank you so much to @netgalley for the E-ARC.
I decided to have a browse on NetGalley as I wanted to read something on my Kindle (when I’m at my partner’s house, he goes to sleep early and I don’t wanna have to go to the living room, so, yanno)
I randomly chose this book, and I’m shocked that I had never heard of Rupert Thomson before. His writing really reminded me of Ian McEwan, but without the political angle. I literally raced through this in a few hours, it was so spectacular.
This story centers on a man named Gino, a former addict who’s approaching his mid-thirties in small-town Italy. Eager to escape his father’s griping and wanting to make something of his life, he decides to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart, Franca. The majority of the story details their fairy-tale romance, following the pair as they fall in love, redo a country house, have a baby, etc…. But Gino’s intense jealousy over a previous fling of Franca’s begins to consume all of his thoughts, threatening to derail their lives (and spoiler….by God, does it…)
I haven’t read a novel this immersive in a while. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and will definitely be pursuing more books by Thomson.
Thank you so much to @netgalley for the E-ARC.
November 1, 2025
Gino, a troubled young man, struggling to find his place and purpose in the world, finds the stability he needs when he marries his childhood sweetheart, Franca. But when Franca gives birth a boy who is so beautiful, Gino questions if he is the boy’s father. The stability married life had given him rapidly unravels as Gino questions Franca’s devotion, which drives him to seek out her old lover.
This is a very sweet yet sad story of love between childhood sweethearts that quickly turns dark as we descend with Gino into his violent paranoia. The characters were well drawn and the prose kept me turning the pages.
Probably not one for you if you’re not a fan of books without dialogue tags.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC
This is a very sweet yet sad story of love between childhood sweethearts that quickly turns dark as we descend with Gino into his violent paranoia. The characters were well drawn and the prose kept me turning the pages.
Probably not one for you if you’re not a fan of books without dialogue tags.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC
June 7, 2026
This book was brilliant. A deep dive in to how jealousy can make your life spiral to the point of disaster. It was beautifully written, and I felt like I was spending a summer in Italy, all while watching as a young man’s life start to quietly unravel as he made poorer and poorer decisions.
I’m a notoriously slow reader but this is the fastest I’ve read a book in recent months, I couldn’t keep myself from turning the page to find out what happened next.
This is my first Rupert Thomson book and I feel the immediate need to read his entire back catalogue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m a notoriously slow reader but this is the fastest I’ve read a book in recent months, I couldn’t keep myself from turning the page to find out what happened next.
This is my first Rupert Thomson book and I feel the immediate need to read his entire back catalogue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 14, 2026
This is a wellwritten and engaging story, but certainly not an easy or comfortable read, in fact a sense of unease pervades much of the book. There were times when I wanted to reach in and have a word with Gino about his decisions and behaviour and the almost inevitable consequences!
A novel I shall be thinking about for some time
Thank you to netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book.
A novel I shall be thinking about for some time
Thank you to netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book.
June 8, 2026
As always, a stunning searing read from a writer charmed with a flair for the love of language and complex human interactions. One critic once said of him " when someone writes as well as Thomson does it makes you bother why other people bother". Hyperbole aside, his novels are truly treasures for those like me besot with the pleasures and adventures of being a reader. Gino and Franca will remain with me ensnared in happier times in the Abruzzo sun.
July 25, 2026
A haunting story of one man’s flaws and how it gradually destroys his relationships and life.
June 8, 2026
I’m always looking out for a new novel from Rupert Thomson as every one of his carefully crafted novels is worth reading. The first novel I read of his was Secrecy and I immediately read through the back catalogue that I’d missed. The novels, all very different, and yet perhaps a common theme is a someone’s life out of control. In the latest novel Gino appears to be heading for a better life with his childhood sweetheart Franca but jealously leads Gino down a self destructive path. I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent book from a great author.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews