Eleven-year-old Dol lives in a constant state of impermanence and unpredictability with an adolescent sister, Star, and a mentally unstable mother, Marigold. She therefore loves the idea of her mum's tattoos lasting forever. Marigold has accumulated a body full of them to record the most joyous mo ments and to celebrate the most special people in her life. It's a fix for her, though; she inks when she's manic but drinks when she's low. Pretending can be a fun and protective form of escape from this "yo-yo" (233) for Dol, until a crisis forces her to have to "suss out what's real" (168). 2006 USBBY-CBC Outstanding International Books List. bef

Originally published by Doubleday Great Britain, in 1999.