Emilia is from a Romanian gypsy family, but she has never fitted in. She looks different, and with her talent for drawing she is different. Locked into a room in a refugee hostel somewhere in Europe, by parents who want to "keep her safe", Emilia begins a secret picture diary of her life. The pictures reveal the persecution her family suffered in Romania, their flight to England, and Emilia's unexpected happiness at going to school for the first time.
Now, through her talent for drawing, Emilia rediscovers the courage she needs to break away from her family and face the outside world in a dramatic bid for freedom.
©2003 Gaye Hiçyilmaz (P)2004 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
"Powerfully evoked." (The Guardian)
"A sensitive and conscience-stirring novel." (The Bookseller)