A fictional tale based on the true story of what happened when Anne and her family moved from Ireland to South Africa in the 1960s, at the age of 14.

Growing up surrounded by things she did not like – apartheid, abuse, anxiety, and alcoholism.

Can words said so many years ago affect a life? Can being abused lead you to drugs, alcohol, suicide? Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will ALWAYS hurt me. Bones mend, but the pain caused by abuse lives on forever.

Two girls, two different stories ~ but they lived them together. Behind their constant laughter and gaiety, lay their hurt, their pain, and their anxiety.

When a Jewish mom discovers the secret life of her daughter Angela; her once safe little world of Shabbos dinners, shopping centers, and family gatherings is shaken to the core. Living in a dark world filled with lies, desperation, pawn shops, and forged cheques becomes a daily occurrence.

It's a story that will resonate with every parent, brother, sister, husband, wife, or friend of an addict: the helplessness, the frustrations, the denial, the terror, the false promises, the financial ruin, the shameful degradation, and the pain of unconditional love.

Catastrophe is also a wake-up call to addiction, the scourge that affects 1 in every 8 South Africans, that spans across religion, colour, and creed; sparing none along its ravenous path.

Told in an easy-to-read and often entertaining way, the book will inform & educate on the tell-tale signs of addiction; give practical help and insights to the loved ones of addicts to help them navigate their way through it.