Behind Closed Doors

Josie has a secret – her mother is an obsessive hoarder, although she won’t admit it to herself or to Josie. Their home is bursting with worthless trinkets, and consequently Josie has never felt able to invite a friend over. Not that she has any friends to invite. Tasha also has a secret – although she has all the material things she could wish to have, her home life is unhappy. Chaz, her mother’s new boyfriend, says and does suggestive things when they are alone, and she feels very uncomfortable in his company. When Tasha tries to talk to her mother about her concerns, her mother doesn’t want to know, and Tasha has nobody else to turn to.

Although the two fifteen-year-old girls don’t really like each other at school, one night Tasha has no choice but to knock on Josie’s door after fleeing from her unsafe home. Josie’s mother is now in prison for failing to pay a debt, and the two girls are alone in the disgusting, cramped, overflowing house. Little by little, faced with homelessness, Josie and Tasha openly share their secrets and challenges, providing mutual support to cope with their shame, guilt and fears.

Available in Welsh as "Pan Fydd Drysau'n Cau".