Waiting for the Other Shoe

All Ann ever wanted was to be a person with a place in the scheme of things. Even her name was an indefinite article. When, at last, she escaped her background, became a teacher and married David, she thought her dreams had come true. Then they adopted Bethany, the longed-for child who would turn their lives inside out. Annie thought she had something fey about her. David called her a witch. Elizabeth, her grandmother, said all she needed was some love. They tried their best in their different ways to raise a happy, healthy little girl but their efforts were sorely tested. Time after time, Bethany's insidious control of the course of events threw their lives into chaos, creating a world where the ordinary became extra-ordinary, where everyday happenings become surreal and madness threatens. In a society in flux, with services stretched to breaking point, it would be a miracle if Annie survived.