The Country Girls

Kate and Baba are friends. Baba is nice to Kate. Kate loves Baba. Baba is mean to Kate. Kate hates Baba. On and on. With lots of Baba being mean.

Kate's homelife is...well, bad. Her dad drinks, and he turns into a monster. Her mother tries to cope. But not well. Baba's home is where Kate goes when things go south.

And then there is Mr. Gentleman, an older, married man.

I was fascinated with this story of two young girls living in the country, going off to school with nuns, heading to the big city, all in 1960s Ireland.