God on the Rocks

She hears stories of her mother's youth from them and the book shows the world through Margaret's eyes, as a child and as an adult.

Over the course of the novel, Gardam gives us the past and present of her characters’ lives, zooming in and out of their diverse perspectives, moving from Margaret’s uncorrupted eyes to the more freighted vision of the grown-ups around her.

"[5] Kirkus Reviews said, "As usual, Gardam requires very few pages to delineate an entire world of class-ridden prejudice and the blighting effect it has on every character.

Yet each one is so achingly vulnerable, and depicted with such empathy, that it’s a relief to be reminded in a final chapter set 12 years later that people are surprisingly resilient and can make the best of even the most unpromising circumstances.

[4][7] The novel was adapted into a 1990 television film directed by Ross Cramer, starring Bill Paterson, Sinéad Cusack, and Minnie Driver.