Description
STORY CONTAINS MATERIAL SOME MIGHT FIND DISTURBING Everyone pities Basil Green. They treat her like they would treat anyone in her situation - like a balloon near a sharp object. They hardly dare to breathe in her presence, fearing she might burst at any time. Even her best friend is careful not to upset her. Basil doesn't want their pity. They think they understand. They don't. They can't possibly understand the horrors Basil has seen, or the psychological burden that she will bear for the rest of her life. Now, Basil's father sits in prison, doing time for his crimes. But Basil's mother, always weak, grows even more reclusive and helpless in her husband's absence, leaving Basil with the chore of supporting their unstable household. Basil is struggling to restore her mother's spirit to what she remembers from her distant youth, and lift the family out of poverty. Even Worse, Basil's younger brother seems determined to throw his life away, despite all Basil has done to protect it.
Prologue
