Paulette has her life mapped out. She's devoted to Denton, and endures his many days and nights working away, as she plans for the future. The home they will have, the children they will share.

Then one day, Denton's friend Garfield appears saying that she'll never see Denton again, and she discovers things are not as she'd believed.

She leans on Garfield and they soon have a child, called Bird, who becomes the focus of her life.

But then Paulette meets Nellie, a boy around the same age who lives nearby. Their lives have become tragically linked and she finds that, despite everything, she cares for him with a passion as if he was her own.

This book is wonderful. It's so simply written, with surprises almost with every turn of the page that you can't put it down. Paulette's life seems destined for tragedy and disappointment. She's full of anger, bitterness and resentment, yet she always wants to do the right thing by others and herself. She is resilient, determined and resourceful and we are rooting for her all along. It's a book of joy and tears, and it's full of hope. I loved it.

This author is probably best known for her outstanding debut novel 'My Name is Leon', which we read in book group in 2018.