A rather unwieldy title, and an unusual cover design (featuring the author with her eyes shut), this book didn't draw me in. But I watched Emma Fowle speak in an online interview and was very impressed by her eloquence and warmth and immediately sought out the book to read more of her story myself. And it's very well told...

Emma Fowle grew up in East London in the 1980s. It was a happy, close-knit family, full of joy and energy. But her father was a champion powerlifter! In his early career, they all shared in his success, delighting in the trophies he brought home, posing with him for photographs in the local press.

But as Arthur White needed to remain at the top of his game, he started taking steroids, which led to cocaine. Needing more money to fuel his, secretive, habit, he worked as a menacing bouncer and debt collector. The extent of his troubles, and his deceit, was hidden for some time until he abandoned his family for another woman, having first made them move to a smaller property and then left with a large proportion of the funds from the house sale.

Emma, her brother and mother, left behind, tried to rebuild their lives after this massive betrayal. She turned to youth leaders at her local church and ultimately found a Christian faith which gave her hope and strength for the future. But this was tested time and again as her father returned and left repeatedly, and she saw the devastation this caused for her mother as well as her own attitudes of trust and forgiveness.

It's an extraordinary story and it's beautifully told. This is an incredible memoir. It's written with such fluidity, honesty and warmth. And it is a story with a happy ending - sorry, spoiler. But it's so encouraing to read of redemption and transformation when this could all have been so different. Though I felt I wanted to hear more of Emma's mother's story. It's a brilliant book.