A completely captivating story in the tradition of Ruth Park, set in Kings Cross in the 1950s.
Ten-year-old Annette Robinson lives with her parents and their boarders in the big boarding house at No. 49 Murray Street, Kings Cross. Annette is tormented by nightmares, her parents' fighting and her fear of never fitting in - but she manages to observe all around her with the acerbic eye of the child who knows that she isn't always being told the whole truth about the adult world.
Soon, she has far more questions than answers: Why won't anyone tell her what happened to Aunty Julie? Who was that woman her father was with in Rushcutters Bay Park? Why does their house have one more storey than all the others in the street? Who is the terrifying woman in grey who stands at the top of the stairs in the middle of the night? And will her nightmares ever leave her?
This novel is a feast of great characters, including the wonderful cat Mrs Murphy, who turns out to save the day. It is a warm, funny, beautifully written story of a family and a community, and of how the best intentions in the world cannot shield a curious child from adult truths.
