Tot is good at watching, waiting and working things out. And there's a lot that demands close attention: her own epilepsy, an older sister who never wants to play anymore, a best friend who's changed her name to Roger, and a father who dreams of making it as a jazz trumpeter in New Orleans.
Sticklebacks and Snow Globes captures daily life on a 1970s council-house estate just outside of London through the experiences of a group of neighbourhood kids. Accompanying Tot are her sister, Dorothy, who is increasingly preoccupied with her own grown-up problems; Stacey, who longs to be a boy; Lilly, who is getting herself a bit of a reputation; and let's not forget Keesal the 'Paki' and Seamus the retard. And ruling the roost are the hard-working, put-upon mothers with all their scary tales of womanhood to absorb.
In her beguiling debut, B.A. Goodjohn follows these endearing characters over the course of one year, reminding us all of the pleasure and pain of childhood. Sticklebacks and Snow Globes dissects the intricacies of working-class life - but this time from a girls' perspective - and will appeal to anyone who remembers being young, whether with nostalgia or with horror.
