Paula's partner has died in a car accident - but no one knows her true grief. Only hours before his death, Mauro revealed that he was leaving her for another woman. Paula guards this secret and ploughs on with her job as a paediatrician in Barcelona, trying to maintain the outline of their old life. But all of Mauro's plants are dying, the fridge only contains expired yoghurt and her mind feverishly obsesses over this other, unknown woman. As the weeks pass, vitality returns to Paula in unexpected ways. She remembers, slowly, how to live. By turns devastating and darkly funny, Learning to Talk to Plants is a piercingly honest portrayal of grief - and of the many ways to lose someone.

"Marta Orriols debuts with a brilliant novel" - Time Out

"Catalan writer Orriols takes us through the complicated journey of grief and the beautiful juxtaposition of death and new life. She masterfully explores the different ways people can experience loss and grief, and her lyrical prose and introspective storytelling make this an engaging read" - Booklist

"Marta Orriols is an exceptional writer" - El Periódico

"Marta Orriols has the ability to put into words the brevity and the unforeseen circumstances of everyday life" - El País

"Finely written... deeply interesting" - Àrtic, Betevé

"Between rage and sadness, Orriols presents a journey towards maturity in a story full of hilarious moments and tenderness" - Diari Ara

"Learning to Talk to Plants is a novel that succeeds by its frankness, by its tenderness and by the subtlety that Marta Orriols demonstrates by giving words to that which in itself lacks them" - ABC