In 1977, Carol Morley (fictionalized as "Ann") was 11 years old and living in Stockport when her dad drove her to school one morning, then drove home and killed himself. Trapped in a house with her emotionally distant mother, Ann starts drinking at 12, drops out of school at 16, and spends her teens trying to explore her emerging sexuality as well as coming to terms with her father's death. In a Manchester of the hedonistic 1980s, Ann finds the perfect playground for her self-destruction and promiscuity, hiding behind heavy drinking and drugs, ambitionless and empty, trying to come to terms with why her father wanted to end his life. Told mainly from Ann's (Carol's) perspective, this story reveals the often devastating consequences of family secrets, the lies we tell each other and ourselves, and a young woman's struggle to find a place she belongs, finally finding a place at Central St Martins in London to study fine art and film and achieving international acclaim. Though names and some events have been changed, this is Carol's compelling and inspirational true story. Fabulous writing combining depth and poignancy with wide appeal. Carol Morley has written and directed a number of films. These include I'm Not Here , Gold Plaque winner at the Chicago International Film Festival; her BAFTA-nominated The Alcohol Years , about her wild days on the Manchester music scene; and the critically acclaimed Film Four and BFI backed Dreams of a Life , about the life of 38 year old Joyce Vincent who was found in her London flat three years after she died.