Milkshakes and Morphine

"When Genevieve first feels a lump on her throat she ignores it. She has form with cancer - it took her mother when Genevieve was only nine - and she is simply not willing to go there. As the lump grows Genevieve has no choice but to engage. But from her first diagnosis - wearing a favourite frock for a party that evening - to the succour she derives from friendships during difficult days to come, Genevieve confronts cancer with sass as well as a dogged optimism fuelled partly by her own young sons. Genevieve's story weaves between now and her childhood, a rackety and fascinating yet precarious period for her and her orphaned sister. Moved from place to place with nothing and no one to anchor her, Genevieve's childhood was steeped in uncertainty. Yet, with a kind of alchemy, In Milkshakes and Morphine Genevieve takes life's precariousness and turns it on its head. Whether it's childhood baggage or cancer, Genevieve's refusal to be cowed by what life throws at her is inspiring."--