Thirteen-year-old Tom Curdie the product of a Glasgow slum is on probation for theft. His teachers admit that he is clever but only one Charles Forbes sees an uncanny warmth in his reticence & in his seemingly insolent smile. So he decides to take Tom on holiday with his own family... This powerful novel explores one of Jenkins consistent & most fruitful themes
- how goodness & innocence is compromised when faced with the pressures of growing up & becoming part of society.