What the grown-ups were doing

Michele Hanson grew up an 'oddball tomboy disappointment' in a Jewish family in Ruislip during the 1950s - a Metroland of neat lawns, bridge parties and Martini socials. Yet this shopfront of respectability masked a multitude of anxieties and suspected salacious goings-on. Was Pamela's mother really having an affair with the man from the carpet shop? Did chatterbox Blanche Walmesley harbour unspeakable desires for Michele's sulky dad? An atmosphere of intense rivalry and lively gossip permeated the domestic idyll. And with glamorous, scheming Auntie Celia swanning around in silk, Michele had a lot to contend with.