Cathy Glass

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From the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of ‘Damaged’ comes the poignant and shocking memoir of Cathy’s recent relationship with Tayo, a young boy she fosters whose good behaviour and polite manners hide a terrible past.
Tayo arrives at Cathy’s with only the clothes he stands up in. He has been brought to her by the police, but he is calm, polite, and very well spoken, and not at all like the children she normally fosters. The social worker gives Cathy the forms which should contain Tayo’s history, but apart from his name and age, it is blank. Tayo has no past.
Tayo is an 'invisible' child, kidnapped from his loving father in Nigeria and brought illegally to the UK by his drink and drugs dependent prostitute mother, where he is put to work in a sweat shop in Central London. When he sustains an injury and is no longer earning, he is cast out.
When Cathy takes Tayo to school he points out a dozen different addresses where he has stayed in the last six months, often being left alone. Tayo lies, and manipulates situations to his own advantage and Cathy has to be continually on guard. Tayo’s social worker searches all computer databases but there is no record of Tayo — he has only attended school for 3 terms and has never seen a doctor. He and his mother have been evading the authorities by living ‘underground’.
With his mother recently released from prison, Tayo is desperate to live with his father in Nigeria, but no one can track him down or even prove that he exists.
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356 printed pages
Original publication
2008
Publication year
2008
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Quotes

  • Ольга Рудьhas quoted4 years ago
    Er, no, I was just thinking of the cost.’
  • Ольга Рудьhas quoted4 years ago
    bviously said nothing about this to Tayo when he returned in the evening after another fun-packed day and clutching a bag of presents. Mr Ondura didn’t come in this time but said that he would see Tayo at nine on Saturday morning, when they were planning on going into London.
    ‘By cab?’ I asked, unable to hide my astonishment. ‘All the way into London?’
    ‘Yes, why? Is there a problem?’ Mr Ondura asked.
    ‘Er, no, I was just thinking of the cost.’
    He gave a little laugh. ‘Don’t worry, the cab won’t be on meter. I’ve done a deal with the driver – two hundred pounds for the day.’
  • Ольга Рудьhas quoted4 years ago
    t will pass in no time and he has plenty to keep himself busy until then.’

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