Description
It is early 1956 and the British Empire is crumbling. But for nine- year-old Ella, living with her parents at the British High Commission in Peshawar, Pakistan, the walls of class, snobbery and racism are still intact. Growing up is a lonely, painful experience, and Ella withdraws, recording the hypocrisy of adult behaviour in her diary, A History of Insects, where she hides a secret that could shatter the lives of the people around her.
Written from the perspective of a young girl, and with all the charm of Behind the Scenes at the Museum and The God of Small Things, this is an illuminating and evocative account of the loss of innocence. It heralds a radical departure in Yvonne Roberts' writing.
