By Charlotte Mendelson
Pan Macmillan, Soft Cover, 384 pages,
www.panmacmillan.com
Marina comes from a family of Hungarians.
She lives in a tiny flat in Westminster Court with her Hungarian grandmother and great aunts, as well as her mother.
This arrangement was necessitated after her father left her mother Laura, who was unable to financially support herself and her daughter.
This upbringing also created a cultural climate of quirky and outdated attitudes that were ingrained in Marina.
In her attempt to break away from the fold, she leaves her over-protected nest to venture to a prep school where she must live amongst the affluent, consisting mainly of boys.
Marina must find her way through her many insecurities and lack of social etiquette in order to be able to stand on her own.
