A Family Torn Apart: Three sisters and a dark secret that threatens to separate them for ever

by Cathy Glass

Angie, 6, and sister Polly, 4, are utterly distraught when they arrive to stay with foster carer Cathy Glass. Their older half-sister Ashleigh has accused their father of something horrible, and the two young sisters have been removed from home to keep them safe. Cathy tries to comfort the girls, but they are inconsolable. They just want their mummy and daddy, whom they love dearly. The girls appear to have been well looked after, but as they settle and start to talk of life at home, it becomes clear something is badly wrong. Then a chance remark sets in motion a chain of events that eventually changes everything. Cathy Glass' book 'A Family Torn Apart' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 10-10-2022.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Fostering, Biography, Abuse, Psychology

336 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2022

About the author

Cathy Glass is a bestselling British author, freelance writer and foster carer.
Her work is strongly identified with both the True Life Stories and Inspirational Memoirs genres, and she has also written a parenting guide to bringing up children, Happy Kids, and a novel, The Girl in the Mirror, based on a true story.
Glass has worked as a foster career for more than 20 years, during which time she has fostered more than 50 children. Her fostering memoirs tell the stories of some of the children who came in to her care, many of whom had suffered abuse.
The first title, Damaged, was number 1 in the Sunday Times bestsellers charts in hardback and paperback. Her next three titles, Hidden, Cut and The Saddest Girl in the World, were similarly successful, all reaching the bestseller charts.
The name "Cathy Glass" is a pseudonym for author Lisa Stone.

Reviews

[Joanne Dickinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much about covid and the rules.

I was very disappointed with this story. We all been though lockdown and far too much about it in this book.

A lot of pages I have skipped which I never do with Cathy books.

The last book had some covid rules, but this is so borning.

I was a big fan of Cathy glass till I read this book.

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, a 14 year-old Ashleigh accuses her step-father Tim of rape. Ashleigh and her 2 sisters Angie & Polly are taken into care, Angie & Polly are taken in by carer Cathy and Ashleigh is first taken in by carer Janet and then by her biological father Trevor.

Their mother Selina & stepfather Tim go through a great ordeal to try and prove Tim's innocence and get their children back.

[Ian Mcnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by this author, this was a really hard book to read given the truth of the story. If Cathy were not as good at her job as she is i dread to think how this story could have turned out. An innocent person could have ended up in prison for something they did not do. The family got the ending they deserved.

[Sophie Kemp-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Cathy Glass memoir I’ve not given 5 stars. Sadly this contained much more info about the Covid restrictions than about the children or the allegations.

[Sophy Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

not her best work. a lot of people complained about the covid references- personally i didn’t mind them and i found that they were relevant to the setting. i feel like there was not enough of a plot to warrant a novel- it’s literally about a girl who falsely accuses her stepfather of raping her causing herself and her sisters to temporarily enter foster care. i think this one was a little slow and repetitive. nevertheless, i appreciated her writing style and insights into fostering as usual and it was nice to see that the children were indeed not victims.

[Claire White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to a new Cathy Glass book, but like other reviews, I agree there was too many references and explaining of Covid protocols (Like we’ve all been living under a rock all this time!)
Therefore I was quite disappointed.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Cathy Glass or her work. She's written quite a few of these books that are described as her "fostering memoirs." I had an icky feeling about the fact that she published stories about children that had been in her care, basically from page 1. I suspect there are issues of consent, which is why she publishes under a pseudonym and changes the names of her charges and their families, but she provides lots of very specific details about the family, regardless.

This whole thing felt exploitative.

In addition, it's kind of amazing that I got through it as fast as I did, considering Glass narrated the daily routines of herself and the two little girls in her care, practically minute by minute, which was basically just doing normal parenting things and setting up video chat with their mom, while throwing in bits about the children's social worker and the previous children she'd fostered. On top of that, this was written during the height of Covid, so there's constant talk about restrictions and social distancing and hand-washing, and I don't think an editor ever looked at this because there was a lot of repetition and grammatical issues that an editor would have caught in an instant.

I guess on the plus side, I did learn a lot about the foster care system in the U.K.? But I will never willingly pick up another of her books.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read by Cathy Glass and it made me so angry I almost didn't read anymore of her books. I almost boycotted her. Because it seemed to me she wrote a whole book just to discredit children's claims of abuse and I left a bad review. But after reading all of her books I decided to read this one again to get a new perspective on it, and I see now Cathy did the best she could for this child and it was just one of many stories, so I had to come back and write a new good review! Cathy, you are amazing!! Thank you for all you have done for all of these children!

I do have to say though that even after the truth came out, I still felt bad for Ashleigh. While she may not have being sexually abused, she was obviously being emotionally and mentally abused by both her mom and her step father. She was not being treated as her sisters were. And her sisters got to go home while she will never be forgiven and allowed to come home. She has no family now because of it. Mother's should not choose men over their children.

[Kira Spooner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. It was the first time reading one of Cathy's, and I found her writing style to be somewhat simple, which in turn made it difficult to follow. I also found it to be repetitive; a lot of the information - regarding COVID specifically - was stated in numerous paragraphs, which I personally found to be excessive... I understand the necessity to include information re. coronavirus, but the same minor details were repeated in consecutive paragraphs (e.g., using hand sanitiser, watching the news). It almost felt as though the story could've been told to the same degree, in half the pages.

The discussion Q's seemed slightly insensitive, as of course children's allegations should be taken serious... why is that up to readers to discuss?

Finally, I found the story to be quite egocentric? Despite mentioning that she does not / would not judge families, there were references to her "being right" about quite sensitive topics.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Cathy. Another book to tear at the heart strings. I can’t say I disagree with Tim. I’d ever be able to forgive Ashleigh for the lies she told about him. I can’t blame him for not wanting anything to do with her. Some things are unforgivable I felt sorry for Selina and Tim because of a kid who didn’t like discipline and decides it’s ok to make up lie after lie Disgusting lies.

[Georgina Abbotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by Cathy.she is such an inspiration I admire everything she does for children in care.this book broke me especially as the young children were finding virtual contact difficult and not seeing their parents in person .I'm so glad everything got sorted but I feel so heartbroken the family had to go through it in the first place.i just hope the family are able to get their life back on track and move forward with help and support.Thank you for another wonderful book Cathy x

[Jennifer Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to the usual standard. Quite repetitive and I found it hard to continue about 3/4 the way through. I have struggled with the last 3 books in this way sadly.

[Nicola Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again another brilliant book by cathy , loved the way the story kept in with the happenings during covid times as well.
Thanks for sharing the sisters story.

[Joanne Eglon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner / quick read.
Cathy Glass has a nice writing style which feels honest and makes you feel part of the story.
Always enjoy Cathy's stories.
Large references to Covid/restrictions which in parts took over the story of the sisters etc however it didn't ruin the story for me.
A family torn apart shows us how lies destroy and eventually the truth will out. Would recommend 💕

[Klare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A harsh topic but flows well and finished it quickly.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only for the story so I give it a 5. But that was a bit of a stretch because WAY too much about Covid. You washed your hands !! We get it!!! You drank the Covid koolaid….enough about it

[Irene Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Cathy's books. I loved the storyline about the three sisters but got tired of hearing about COVID nearly every chapter.

[laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

another Cathy Glass book that made me neglect everything in life as I was so engrossed in it from start to finish!

[Abi_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to give a Cathy glass book anything but 5 stars but as other reviews have said this book feels different then her other ones. According to Libby I read this book in 2 hours and 38 minutes, no surprise as I flew through it. I found the story heartbreaking and horrendous as always but the writing style felt different and there wasn't as much detail about the children or the situation which is usually included. This could have been because of covid and the inability to do much. I still loved the book!

[Katie Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t as enjoyable as they usually are. I think there was too much talk of Covid and the rules. I understand why the contents of this book happen but it’s horrible that people are put through stuff like this.

[Pat Osment · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well told story although I had guessed the twist at the end.Cathy was obviously very good at being a foster carer. I thought the story being set in Pandemic times added to the difficulties and heartbreaks facing the family “torn apart” and also how much stress it added to the role of foster carers.

[tahliareadstoomuch]

Every time a Cathy Glass book comes out I know I need to set aside some time because I cannot put these books down once I start.

I don't like to give star ratings to books that are real stories about real people. However, I will say that Cathy Glass is a very talented writer and this book clearly demonstrates as such.

This book in particular was hard to read due to the subject matter, and the intense distress it clearly caused to all family members involved.

I found the ending... difficult. It was very shocking.


*SPOILERS BELOW SPOILERS BELOW*

I don't like to perpetuate the idea that false reports occur, because the system makes it difficult enough for children and women to be believed as it is. But this story was gut-wrenching.

It is clear that the assault story was made up as there were multiple witness testimonies of where the father and the daughter both were at the supposed assault time, no physical evidence at all, and at the end the daughter admitted she made it up because she hates her step-dad and wanted to live with her bio-dad.

I feel like this is such an unusual event to happen, and it was honestly difficult to read about a story where the "child" (a fourteen year old) is actually at fault as opposed to the adult. I'm so used to assuming that the authority figure is at fault (which is usually the case!!) and I found it hard to adjust my views as more information that he was innocent became clear.

I'm glad that the family got their happy ending, the younger daughters were returned to them, and that the teenager is in therapy and getting the help she needs.

[Racheal Giuliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolute waste of a book!

[Anna Grace Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve thought a long time about whether or not to write a review for this book. I love Cathy Glass books! She is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read every one. It’s rare that she gets less than 5 stars from me. I will continue waiting anxiously for her next books and reading them in a day. I love that she recounts true stories that reflect the lives of the children she fosters. One of the things that captivates me about her books is that the stories she tells are not isolated. Yes, they are unique and tragic stories of individual children, but the themes reflect the experiences of millions of children across the world. Each book I’ve read has left me with the lingering reminder that the primary issue addressed is incredibly widespread.

“A Family Torn Apart” left me in a different place. I ended the book feeling heartbroken for what this family went through and I appreciate that this is a true story and a really family that was impacted by lies. However, I have to step back and think about the impact this book may have on its readers. It is extremely rare for children to make false allegations of rape against caregivers. While it happens, and it did to this family, it is incredibly rare. Sexual abuse occurs more than statistics are even able to reflect due to silence and secrecy. The epilogue seemed to warn parents, teachers, caregivers, and foster parents that a false allegation may be made against them. It does happen! I know and believe that. I just hope that the readers don’t think that is the norm and shy away from these important roles out of fear. I also hope it doesn’t spark any readers to doubt allegations a child makes because there is a lack of evidence. There often isn’t physical evidence in sexual abuse cases.

I hope that readers can accept this saddening story for what it is and acknowledge that when false allegations are made it can be devastating to the family. I hope they can also continue to go into caregiving roles and believe every child. Lies about sexual abuse are very rare. As I said, I love Cathy’s books and this one as well! I just felt that I needed to say that as a reminder and I would have liked for that to have been mentioned by Cathy to her readers in the epilogue along with the acknowledgment that false allegations occur.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy Glass is hands-down my favorite author. I have read and re-read her fostering memoirs over and over again. Her latest certainly did not disappoint.

Cathy's casual writing style allows the reader to feel as if they are sitting across from her listening to her tell the story. She always explains unfamiliar fostering jargon, procedures, and processes in easily digestible terms to eliminate any disconnect or confusion. Cathy also brings an interesting perspective to light throughout her memoirs. She is able to perfectly capture and balance the perspectives of herself as the foster carer, her children, the foster children, and the foster children's families. Cathy is very diplomatic in the way that she discusses and interacts with the families of the children she looks after, a characteristic which shines brightly throughout this particular story.

In this newest memoir, Cathy Glass looks after two young children after their older sister makes allegations of sexual abuse against their father. Cathy navigates interactions with unpredictable parents, healing two broken-hearted children, maintaining her relationships with her own family, and searching for the truth in a messy and dire situation; all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This memoir toys with the readers emotions as they try to find the truth within this family's chaos.

Cathy's books explore many aspects of fostering that are not often discussed openly. She tells her stories with class, integrity, and respect for the others involved. Cathy is also very interactive with fans through email and social media: answering questions, replying to fan mail, and commenting on posts about her books. I look forward to her next fostering memoir in February!

I would highly recommend this book and all of Cathy's books to anyone who is interested in fostering or social work, those who enjoy memoirs, or those just looking for something interesting. I found Cathy Glass several years ago by accident, while sifting through the bookshelves at a thrift store. I now own every book in both physical copy and audiobook. Now, when I read a new Cathy Glass book or listen to her stories on Audible, I don't feel like I'm reading a book, I feel as though I am reconnecting with an old friend.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for book club. I would not have read it otherwise. Not good literature or story. I man just look at the cover.

I suppose the only interesting part was that it occurred during 2020 COVID pandemic so the author perhaps wanted to document how strange life was then. That, and maybe the inner look at foster care during that time.

I read a lot of memoirs/biographies and this is one of the blandest. Way too much detail and the whole time you’re wanting to get to the end to find out the truth but mainly just to get it over with. And it was all for not. All because a teenage lied and made terrible unfounded allegations. Gives a very intimate look into foster care in the UK.

It really does show how any allegation must be investigated thoroughly and believe the victim. In my opinion, they should have questioned the teenager and her boyfriend way more in depth early on and months of separation for the other two kids could have been avoided. They didn’t have evidence to support the claim and I think they could have gotten there way earlier. Poor family.

[Lauren Rea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the story of two little girls who’s elder sister had made allegations against their father (the older sister’s stepfather) ending in them being removed to Cathy’s care.

I really didn’t enjoy this one, it was very flat and all the covid stuff just got on my nerves! We were all there so we know what it was like, but it was every other paragraph was about covid restrictions!

I didn’t feel it was one of Cathy’s best books to be honest, and it didn’t seem like the same person had written it! I’m also not sure how believable it was when she got involved with the older sister, calling her dad on her behalf etc!

Sorry, it’s 3 stars for this one, and I was being generous just because I usually enjoy her books!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Cathy Glass I really do,but this book was more about the pandemic then anything. We all lived through COVID we all know what the precautions were. We all know about washing our hands and sanitizer but what I didn't get was more of the girls story. I feel like this story was shorter just to add COVID stuff to it. This made me sad.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest I disliked this book on so many levels. Cathy instantly began labelling Tim with names although as a Foster carer she shouldn't have been using those titles. The whole book made me angry and it was clear from the beginning she had made her mind up then went sweet with him at the end.

I don't think I'll be reading anymore.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a riviting read for me. Wouldn't recommend it. Lots of American terms and spellings - not sure who is actually writing these.
Basically, a stepchild has accused step dad of raping her but she's lied as she wanted to live with her biological dad. 😴