We are all of us, for good or ill, the product of our families. Serpent Child is a compelling and scrupulously honest account of one woman’s experience of a troubled family – a family in which parental strife served, sadly, to undermine the nurturing she had a right to expect. It is also a fascinating account of how our understanding of our lived experience can be subject to major revision in the light of growing maturity and the opportunity to meet those close to us at a different time and in a different light. Whilst at times a difficult read, this book is ultimately uplifting in demonstrating the capacity of the human spirit to prevail despite the harm that others may do to us. As a retired mental health practitioner, I read Serpent Child with great interest, and with a clear sense of how valuable it could be for those in the caring professions, casting light as it does on the reality of one person’s experience of a discordant family. Highly recommended for the professional and the lay person alike. [Testimonial for Serpent Child from an eminent retired Yorkshire psychiatrist.]