"A heart-breaking, compelling story of a young girl in foster care ensnared by county lines exploitation."
Marilyn’s Story is the latest in Louise Allen’s Thrown Away Children series written alongside Theresa McEvoy, detailing the experiences of a foster carer and the children being cared for. Marilyn’s placement with the Allens starts off on the wrong foot, with an undeniable social worker pressing the match right before a planned family holiday. Marilyn’s experiences were complex and the few weeks they spent together were filled with dramatic highs and lows. As suspicions of County Lines exploitation become more and more apparent, the placement becomes even more dangerous.
Allen’s writing is thought provoking and compelling as she relates the struggles that are faced by foster carers and children. She provides her honest feedback on the pitfalls of the care system and calls for widespread improvements to prevent the situations she found herself in with Marilyn. The storytelling draws you in. I am new to the Thrown Away Children series and was surprised to find myself reading a contextualising backstory for Marilyn’s mother. This aspect of the narrative brought both Marilyn and her family’s story to life. The writing is emotive, at times you can feel Louise’s frustration ooze off the page - at the position a social worker places her in, and her struggle to find a cause for Marilyn’s outbursts, at the holiday she didn’t get to enjoy as she hoped. However Louise is an experienced and professional foster carer and these frustrations don’t seem to keep her down long, I admire her resilience. Marilyn’s Story covers a lot of difficult topics but offers hope of a brighter future.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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