Caris’s father, Mac, a taxi driver, struggles to keep the family together as Christmas looks set for disaster, especially when Louise’s drunken, dishevelled mother, Nana Price, moves in. While Mac finds solace talking to his passengers, Caris is drawn into the intriguing darkness of the nearby vale, where she meets George, an unpredictable boy from a very different sort of family. Their relationship leads her away from school and what she has known into a new and unnerving world.
Julia Darling’s acclaimed novel blends the gritty and the everyday with the evocative and the enchanting, to create an original, inventive and often moving portrayal of family ties, suburban life, love and growing up.
Published by Viking Books in 2003 and in paperback by Penguin in 2004, The Taxi Driver’s Daughter drew widespread praise and numerous reviews. It was runner up for the 2004 Encore award and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. It was published in Canada as well.