'Celia's Secret

The early 1940s in Manchester. Martha was the second eldest in a family of four children, all born during the war; a time when rules and boundaries were set aside for who knew what tomorrow might bring. Her childhood was deeply affected by a family secret and the existing tensions around an unhappy marriage. Something was not right; she knew it from an early age but how could she discover the truth? Set in the context of Martha's young life; the teenage years, the dancing, the music and the special friendships, she seeks personal fulfilment and embarks on a course of study. Away from home, she views her situation more objectively. When first revealed, the secret leads to despair rather than resolution and Martha faces some painful issues in her life; mental illness, bereavement, loss of chosen career and, above all, her changed relationship with her much-loved mother.
The story analyses the emotional impact of the secret on Martha and other family members and searches for understanding and forgiveness. It seeks reconciliation for the living and for those beyond the grave. As a trained counsellor, Martha writes about the process of counselling; how the counselling relationship, self-knowledge and determination can restore and empower. This is a story of searching and discovery over many years. The structure of the story is clear and progressive taking the reader through the working process of understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. The book ends on a very positive note. Martha knows there are no definitive answers to the challengers we face. Peace, she believes, can only be achieved by knowing that one has done all that is humanly possible to resolve them.