Leaving Childhood Behind (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781914225925)

Mary Arlene Blake and her three friends are leaving childhood and becoming teenagers. We first see them outside the terrifying wall of the secondary school, worrying and wondering what awaits them on the other side.

They learn to navigate through this new stage of their lives that is full of changes. Their bodies have a will of their own that they cannot control, be it pimples, periods or the boy they fall in love.

As they come to terms with the changes in their bodies and attitudes, they notice the world is a place of interest. Televison shows them what is happening in the USA and in the North of Ireland, while in the girls' hometown of Drumbron, the discovery of bones on the abandoned grounds of the Mother and Baby Home is not regarded as important by the townspeople or the local authorities. A decade of the rosary and holy wáter sprinkled on the spot where the bones were found is deemed enough. The secrets of the past must remain buried deep in an Ireland where the Catholic church still holds a mighty sway over the people.