Pale Mistress

Cyprus in the sixteenth century. Othello, Desdemona and Emilia are dead, and Bianca is the principal survivor of a catastrophe shaped by jealousy, accusation and Iago’s manipulation. Known publicly as a courtesan and dismissed within the familiar story, she must reconstruct how the relationships around the Venetian garrison turned into murder.

The novel retells Shakespeare’s Othello from Bianca’s perspective, converting a tragedy centred on male honour into a psychological thriller about gaslighting, sexual reputation and whose testimony is believed. Its historical value lies primarily in its representation of gender and status in Venetian Cyprus; its central characters and events remain literary rather than documented historical figures.