ABOUT
THE BOOK

This is the story of Ellie Crowther, a spirited, original and forthright woman who becomes a painter of distinction. But her canvasses continue to be haunted by a presence she thinks of as her shadow man.
Ellis is fourteen and living with her mother at the Woburn hostels in Lower Hutt when the novel opens. There is much she doesn’t understand – about men and love and sex, especially. She begins her journey into adulthood alert to its disappointments but also finding talents and passions – and enough love- to sustain and enrich her in unexpected ways. As the story progresses Ellie comes to understand and make peace with her shadow man.