The synopsis for this book makes you want to hate Chrissie. She sounds awful, like she knows exactly what she’s doing. I to be fair I felt like hating her myself – bossy, unruly, not a care in the world, a bully to her best friend and others and the list could go on. Just not a nice child – and to top it all off she kills a three year old boy Steven – and it makes her feel powerful. 

And then you get introduced to Julia – grown woman with a little girl called Molly – and absolutely terrified of losing her. When she starts getting phone calls and Molly gets hurt and social worker arranges an appointment, Julia panics and leaves for her hometown, where her mother moved back to whilst she was in a children’s home (instead of prison). 

The book alternates the story of eight year old Chrissie and those parts are written in a simpler language that Chrissie would use at that age – it’s a clever way to make the story more authentic. So we find out more about her life as a small child, while adult Julia visits her old home town and decides what to do next. 

I can’t hate her – I have a lot of sympathy for her. When her childhood is revealed along with her understanding of life, death, role of a mother and father and everything that shapes a person at that age – how could you not sympathise. It’s a controversial feeling, but the more I knew about little Chrissie the more I wanted to give her a hug and hope that as Julia, she will be ok. Julia is clearly good mum, giving her little girl everything, whilst not asking anything in return, even love. 

I am so glad to have read this. It’s thought-provoking, difficult, and definitely a book that will stay with me for a while. 

Thank you to TBConFB for this book.