Fair of Face

SYNOPSIS: Anne has finally left her grandmother's den. The moment she's about to exhale, she discovers her troubles - of a different kind - are already brewing. At sixteen, she finds herself the only adult at home, and has to make tough decisions, and take dangerous chances to remain standing tall under the pressures that threaten to force her head under the pavement. Anne's confidence blossoms when she finds a job and becomes a model. Finally, as her tongue loosens, she grabs the reins of the fragile control she has over her own fate. But even her little successes come with underlying dangers. Anne has to fight mentally and physically to hold off the small-town predators, sharpening their teeth to attack. At breaking point, she heads for the capital and gambles everything she is and has on finding her feet, but the gold she seeks for her family gets further away with every step. DESCRIPTION: Fair of Face is an encouraging, inspirational memoir about making something wonderful of your life, regardless of what you've been given. Anne had to grow up quickly. Her family was poor, so she started with nothing. It's more difficult to get your foot on the first rung of the ladder of life if you refuse to compromise your beliefs to make that initial step easier, but Anne is set on doing the right thing. With danger looming on all sides, and the 'butchers' in her town focused on breaking her, Anne fights mental and physical battles, kicking and punching, to keep her focus straight. She's painfully aware that being pleasing to look at can have major negative undercurrents. Eventually, when she escapes her town, Anne thinks that the future she's dreamed of is at hand. Nothing could prepare her for what's actually in store. When family members and life in general let her down, even Anne's heightened antennas for sensing tension can't keep her out trouble. However, there's help by the side of the river, in the form of an extended hand.