Grace Pudel, an enthusiastic snail collector and romance novel reader, recounts the story of a life that hasn't always been kind to her. After their mother's death, Grace and her twin brother Gilbert grow up with their paraplegic, alcoholic father. When he too dies unexpectedly, the siblings are separated and placed in different foster homes. While Gilbert is subjected to the cruelties of a fanatically religious family on the other side of Australia, Grace withdraws further and further into herself—just like her beloved snails. Only through her friendship with Pinky, an eccentric older woman brimming with joie de vivre, does she find hope again and realize how beautiful life can be despite all its hardships. New product