Johnny Salter

by Aidan Chambers

Love is a drug. So is smack. When shy working-class single-mother Leigh falls for black dope-dealer Angel she is soon addicted to both. I'd eat glass for you," she tells the over-educated and under-employed Angel as she jumps feet first into a helter skelter of self-destruction. This is a woman who has selflessly held her life together for years against the odds, worked in local government, brought up her children with love and diligence, been a leading light in the PTA. No wonder she is so bloody exhausted, no wonder love and dependency sneak up and mug her from behind."