Publisher's Synopsis
When an old, tattered, post war schoolgirl's private journal is found hidden in the base of an antique display cabinet, a sorrowful tale is unearthed. Once the worn and faded pages are separated and transcribed, the heartfelt worries of a young girl, Emilia, unfold. She has just lost her younger sister, Hanna, in tragic circumstances, and her own feelings of guilt and anxiety are revealed against the background of a social climbing mother and a white-collar father, who is less than enthusiastic about his wife's societal activities.From Emilia's journal pages, written over a period of just a few weeks, we learn of the family's Polish and Welsh heritage, the old fashioned values impressed upon their family life in an Edwardian built house and the mother's repression of Emilia in favour of Hanna. For Emilia, there is an undercurrent of envy, rendered by torment, selfishness and control of her younger sibling, which she believes influenced her own actions on the day of the tragic accident. Or was it just an accident? Is it she who should truly be to blame?
