Lullabies for little criminals - Heather O'Neill

Baby is twelve. Her mother died soon after she was born so she lives with her father - and his heroin addiction.She's grown up in Montreal's red-light district, never staying anywhere long enough to call it home, and now Baby is losing the only constant in her life; her father. He's been sent to hospital and she's been forced into foster care. She longs for his return;other people's families are no substitute for her own. Starved of affection, Baby is attracted to all the wrong people. And when her father betrays her and she is sent to a juvenile detention centre, she is more at risk than ever.Baby's survival rests on her gift for spinning stories and for cherishing the small crumbs of happiness which fall into her lap. Poised on the threshold between childhood and adult life, she is bright, funny, observant and ultimately wise enough to realize that salvation rests in her hands alone.Heather O'Neill's talent is outstanding, she is able to craft the most beautiful images and Quercus anticipates a remarkable future for her.