Covering roughly the first two decades of the author’s life, Places is a real life story of lovelessness; depression; desperation; and abuse, both physical and psychological.  It shows – at times with stark vividness – how insecurity, envy, distrust and lack of self-esteem can seep into the psyche of an entire family, engendering mental instability over successive generations. And it also shows how a person brought up in such a hostile and toxic environment can be hugely vulnerable when they try to make their own way in the outside world.

Searingly honest, and without affectation or pretension, Places is a tough story, often harrowing and at times confronting, but it is also a story of hope and the will to survive. Despite the appalling things done to her, the young Debbie – the first-person narrator of Places – never gives up hope, and seldom wavers in her belief that the possibility of a better life might be just around the next corner.

"That was my quest in life. I felt it was possible, even though most people said life was hell on earth. I hated their negative words; and just kept hoping and dreaming  for a better future."     (page 328)