Lesley Allen's debut novel spares us few of the horrors that Biddy faces on a daily basis. At first she struggles to make sense of the hostility that she encounters at every turn; then she simply comes to accept that the fault lies within herself, that she really is a 'bloody weirdo', and she turns her face away from a world which seems to offer only further torment. What I also find very convincing is how the other characters reacted to the bullying: nobody wants to be the next victim and therefore nobody has the guts to stand in and support. It is impossible not to empathize with Biddy, to feel her loneliness, to long for her to be able to find her wings. The ending is a delight. Just beautiful.