The Hiding Place

This novel is set in the Maltese community of Tiger Bay in Cardiff where the author grew up. Dolores, the narrator tells the story of her childhood - her father, Frankie, a compulsive gambler who, due to a misunderstanding at the moment of her birth (he is convinced that his wife will finally give birth to a boy after a multitude of daughters) loses everything to his rival Joe, head of the Maltese Mafia.

Frankie's gambling leads to the fire which disfigures Dolores, and destroys their home. The novel flits between past and present with brilliant power and sensitivity as Dolores reflects on her childhood and the lives that her father created for himself and his children.