In 1903, in the mining town of Barnsley, a brutalised wife called Emily Swann lashed out at her violent husband. Her action brought tragedy and scandal in their wake. Her children were shamed, her family broken apart. Over one hundred years later her great-granddaughter Felicity, also a victim of physical and psychological abuse, set out to uncover the secret history of her family in the hope it would heal the scars of her own childhood. As Felicity discovered more about her mum and nan, and was led back to Emily herself, she came to see how these women had all been caught in a damaging cycle, endlessly repeating the mistakes of the past. And she knew that she, at last, had the power to break free--Back cover.