Anita Heavens

The first bend in the road came when little Nicky refused to eat the sausages. Before that she felt safe and loved and happy.

Now the twists and turns of the road have brought 16-year-old runaway Nicky to London. A London peopled by snake dancers and leather clad bikers, handsome controlling young men and crafty old men with hidden agendas.

Laughter and tears, pain and joy, the zigzag road offers it all, together with the hope it will lead to the freedom, excitement and sense of identity she seeks.

Could the road take her back to happy? Just as Nicky believes that might be possible, a punctured tyre and a torch shining in the night threaten everything...

Powerful, moving and based on a true story, this is a teenager's journey of self-discovery in London of the 1960s.