Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

In 1985 Jeanette Winterson's first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, was published. It was Jeanette's version of the story of a terraced house in Accrington, an adopted child, and the thwarted giantess Mrs Winterson. It was a cover story, a painful past written over and repainted. It was a story of survival.

This book is that story's the silent twin. It is full of hurt and humour and a fierce love of life. It is about the pursuit of happiness, about lessons in love, the search for a mother and a journey into madness and out again. It is generous, honest and true.
Enligt Amazon är boken i genren Lesbiska biografier. Jag tycker nog att Jeanettes förfärliga uppväxt är mer utmärkande än hennes lesbiskhet. Fast det är klart, titeln är vad hennes adoptivmamma sa när hon höll fast vid att hon älskade kvinnor.