Maryanne is very worried as her mother seems to be ignoring her and getting on with her life when it had always been just the two of them after the death of Maryanne's father. This novel explores the teenage angst and vulnerabilities of a young girl struggling to come to terms with her own feelings in a world she thinks does not understand her. The author really gets into the head of Maryanne conveying all the fears and total self absorbtion of teenagers who believe that they are, or should be, the centre of the world.