The Sunday Times bestseller ... Taunted by everyone around her, 15-year-old Mavis Jackson is devastated when her only ally, her father Ron, leaves home to beat his gambling addiction. The future seems bleak until an unexpected fairy godmother arrives in the form of invalid Edith Pugh. She needs help around the home and sees Mavis as the perfect solution, especially as she has ulterior motives ... Meanwhile Ron has fallen off the wagon. His best mate Peter doesn't know where he is and has to break the terrible news, but does he have another reason for his sudden interest in the Jackson family?