'A vivid depiction of how easy it is to get trapped by other people's expectations. Full of heartbreak but also hope, I really rooted for the women in this novel.' Louise Hare

Can you ever escape your past?

Cat knows she should be more grateful for her partner James. As a young woman struggling to care for her alcoholic mother, he whisked her away from the violence and addiction of her council estate home and offered her a taste of middle-class comfort.

But twenty years later, the escape he offered has begun to feel stifling. Surrounded by immaculate white carpets and scented candles, everything has its place in James's house, except it seems, Cat. She had a place to study at university after finishing school, but her mother was too unwell for Cat to take it. She begins to dream of the opportunities education could offer her.

At a university open day, Cat finds herself standing before teenage boyfriend, Daniel, now a lecturer. As the spark that drew them together returns, Cat hopes that he can in some way help her reconnect with the drive and optimism of her younger self. Or perhaps she is simply hurtling back towards a past that can only hurt her further...

Can Cat let go of her demons to become the person she always hoped to be, or is it too late?

What readers are saying about Ungrateful:

'A total pleasure.' Eva Verde

'Touched me deeply.' Juno Roche

'Compulsively readable with huge heart.' Alex Allison

'Clever, gripping, heartbreaking but also ultimately hopeful. I want to read this book again and again and again.' Cat White

'I loved it. As soon as I started reading, I was in. Ungrateful expertly explores the physical, emotional and intellectual repercussions of being born into poverty.' Lynne Voyce

'Kept me on the edge of my seat, courageously challenging mainstream conceptions of class with an empowering message for positive change. Gets hold of the working-class stereotype and smashes it to bits.' Shaun Wilson

'I inhaled this book!... Just want to read it all over again.' Eve Ainsworth

'A soul-questioning novel that helps us understand the currency of gratitude in our deeply imbalanced and transactional world in which to change one's life is to be indebted to someone else's.' Kit Fan

Catherine Brandon knows she should be more grateful for her partner, James. As a young woman struggling to care for her alcoholic mother, he whisked her away from the violence and addiction of her council estate home and offered her a taste of middle-class comfort.

But twenty years later, the escape he offered has begun to feel stifling. Surrounded by immaculate white carpets and scented candles, everything has its place in James's house, except it seems, Cat. She had a place to study at university after finishing school, but her mother was too unwell for Cat to take it.

Dreaming of the education she wanted, at a university open day, Cat finds herself standing before her boyfriend of teenage years, now a lecturer. As the spark that drew them together returns, Cat hopes that he can in some way help her reconnect with the drive and optimism of her younger self. Or perhaps she is simply hurtling back towards a past that can only hurt her further...