Waiting for the other shoe - Maggie Handsley

All Ann ever wanted was to be a person with a place in the scheme of things. Even her name was an indefinite article. When, at last, she escaped her background, succeeded in becoming a teacher and married David, the sort of man who would help his kids with their homework, she thought her dreams had come true. Then they adopted Bethany, the longed-for child, who would turn their lives inside out. Annie thought she had something fey about her. David called her a witch. Elizabeth, her grandmother, said all she needed was some love. They tried their best in their different ways to raise a happy, healthy little girl but their efforts were sorely tested. Time after time, Bethany's insidious control of the course of events threw their lives into chaos, creating a world where the ordinary became extra-ordinary, where everyday happenings become surreal and madness threatens.In a society in flux, with services stretched to breaking point, it would be a miracle if Annie survived. A humorous story despite its dark subject matter, "Waiting for the Other Shoe" is set in a northern landscape and populated with heart warming characters such as best friend Maura, whose advice consists of mystique and psychocrap; Horace, who wears a permanent scarf to ward off colds; and, a parrot called Viagra.