Born Bad

Born Bad (Manchester Trilogy Book 1) by Heather Burnside. London: Head of Zeus, Ltd., 2019. 355 pages. Paperback. ****

From 1973 - 1984 Adele spends her childhood studying and trying to stay out of trouble. With an alcoholic abusive father who beats her mother regularly, a sadistic younger brother and a depressed tranquilizing taking mother, Adele doesn't have a chance.  The one person in her life that she can count on is her Grandmother, who brings her salve and long pants to help with Adele's chapped legs. Her Grandmother is appalled by the stench and filth in her daughter's home and visits often to cook and clean up. Adele doesn't look for trouble, but it often finds her. Whether she is defending her brother or herself against bullies at school or standing up to her father during one of his drunken rages, Adele continues to study and try to better herself.  When her brother goes to prison for burglary, her mother becomes more dependent on her. Will Adele be able to escape her legacy and achieve her dreams or will her family drag her down with them?

Burnside has created a horrifying realistic story about family violence and loyalty. She paints a picture that rings true from beginning to end. Adele buries her anger until she explodes and then is horrified at her behavior. I can't wait to read the second book in the Trilogy, Blood Ties and find out if Adele is able to escape her past and start over.

I received a paperback copy for a review and am one of the stops on a Blog Tour for this book.

Heather Burnside grew up in Gorton, a working-class area of Manchester famed as the original location for the TV series, Shameless. She moved from Gorton to Longsight and spent her teenage years on one of the toughest estates in Manchester. During the 1990s the estate became the headquarters for one of Manchester’s predominant gangs. It regularly featured in the local press due to shootings and drug-related problems. Heather draws heavily on this background as the setting for many of her novels.

After taking a career break to raise two children Heather enrolled on a creative writing course. During that time she had many articles published in well-known magazines and went on to run a writing services business before focusing on her novels.

Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester which she shares with her two grown-up children. To learn more about Heather and future books: https://heatherburnside.com
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