Velocity tells the moving, painful but often hilarious story of Mandy Sayer’s childhood and adolescence, a life lived on the edges - of society, of poverty, of certainty, of love. Filled with beautifully realised descriptions of life seen through a child’s eyes - a child who gradually comes to realise her adored parents are all too tragically flawed and broken - Velocity packs the emotional impact of Angela’s Ashes with the surreal humour and razor-sharp observations of Running With Scissors.

Against a vivid backdrop of smoky jazz bars, steamy beer gardens and a succession of lino-floored dosshouses, Sayer brings into focus those moments when the child’s world and the adult world intersect, when illusions are shattered and understanding begins. Unflinchingly honest, startlingly brave and written with a clear-eyed, lyrical grace, Velocity is an ultimately uplifting story of struggle and faith against terrifying odds.