We are thrilled that I Am You, Victoria Redel’s stunning novelisation of the life of Dutch Golden Age painted, Maria Van Oosterwijck, has been selected as the winner of the Good Housekeeping autumn collection.

The readers panel loved it, with one stating “The novel was beautifully written, with a distinctive voice that stayed with me”.

The first novel published by Firefinch, I Am You is a meditation on gender, an ode to artistic creation, and an unforgettable love story that reimagines the life of renowned painter Maria van Oosterwijck during the Dutch Golden Age.

At eight years old, Gerta Pieters is forced to disguise herself as a boy and sent to work for a genteel family. When their daughter Maria sees through Gerta’s ruse, she insists Gerta accompany her to Amsterdam and help her enter the elite, male-dominated art world.

While Maria rises in the ranks of society as a painting prodigy, Gerta makes herself invaluable in every way: confidante, muse, lover. But as Gerta steps into her own talents, their relationship fractures into a complex web of obsession and rivalry, until the secrets they keep threaten to unravel everything.

The paperback publishes on September 10th and is available for pre-order now. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Am-You-Sunday-Times-Month/dp/1918107149