A unique rites of passage novel which follows the life of a young woman from Ireland to Birmingham where she flees to following an unhappy childhood. Working and living in a pub with her sister's family she finds her already difficult relationship with her sister further strained when she discovers that she is working as a prostitute. An exceptional novel that combines realism with glowing warmth and humour. Its main protagonist, Deirdre, who carries on a constant angry dialogue with God, is one of the most delightfully drawn characters in recent Irish fiction.