1893, France. The story revolves around Melissa: a reserved, prim and proper, yet sheltered girl who is expected to take over the renowned family boutique. She is adamant about following through her parent’s expectations, but she accepts an internship to delay the process. Melissa meets Reggie, a free-spirited, sarcastic, and shrewd assistant. While navigating teenagehood and coping with her hysterical mother, Melissa finds comfort in Reggie’s company. The two characters form a profound bond that feels like an escape from their reality, but the prejudice, deception, and uncontrollable circumstances put her freedom and their delicate relationship at risk.
Over the course of 2020, a select group of young writers was invited to take part in a year-long writing program at Story Factory. Their goal was to produce a fully realised novella. This is one of the novellas produced in these workshops. The Year of the Novella was made possible by the generous support of Create NSW.