It is 1958 and five-year old Andy has a new sister, Elaine, who his father describes as ‘not quite all there.’ While his parents argue whether or not to send her away, Andy sleeps beside her cot every night and watches as his mother withdraws into sadness. So begins this deeply moving and profoundly affecting story of the ties that bind mothers and children. This debut novel by Jane Rusbridge is a story of family secrets and betrayal, involving knots, Harry Houdini and the shifting landscape of memory.