Jane Ransome, mother of three children, is married to a man who adores her and she knows she has every reason to be happy. But she longs for another child. When nature fails her, Jane and her husband take the decision to adopt. Three year-old Jody arrives at the household, nervous and withdrawn, but the family also find themselves exposed to a new world of uncertainty. How do you care for someone who has been abandoned by the people who should have loved her most? Or uncover love in the dark reaches of neglect? And is Jane in danger of forgetting her own family in her desire to repair this damaged child? Dave Hill has written a deeply moving, perceptive, sometimes funny novel about the bitter-sweetness of childhood, growing up and the family ties that make us who we are.

Dave Hill is a freelance journalist who writes for most of the national newspapers, primarily for the Guardian and Evening Standard. He has written non-fiction works on football, pop music and gender politics as well as the bestselling novel, DAD'S LIFE. He lives in east London with his wife and his six children.