In Search of Ethel Cartwright

‘A warm and uplifting read… a gentle and inspiring, yet vital, reminder that life is there to be lived, and that regrets won’t keep you warm as you age’ Justin Myers

‘Profound and joyful’ My Weekly

‘I loved this moving story about secrecy, shame and the healing power of vulnerability’ Daily Mail

Norman Cartwright, an eighty-six-year-old man living in the small seaside town of Clacton, Essex, has kept his cross-dressing a secret his entire life. A trucker by trade, his lipstick and wigs were donned only in the lonely confines of his lorry, as he sat in lay-bys and drove along empty roads on long trips away from his wife and children. After years of judgement, abuse and fear, Norman no longer knows how to embrace this side of himself, or if anyone would accept him if he did . . .

When his teenage granddaughter, Florence, turns up unannounced, it’s obvious that she, too, has secrets she’s not yet willing to share. As they grow closer, however, the truth bubbles free and life starts to change in profound and unexpected ways, both for them and everyone around them.

In Search of Ethel Cartwright is a moving story of family, love and courage that reminds us of the importance of being true to ourselves.