''A funny, frightening book that is also refreshingly bonkers'' Guardian

''A brilliant writer...a great novelist'' Richard and Judy

Northern girl Harriet lives and works on a London estate which is a battleground between the white working class plus the immigrants versus the newly arrived middle class focaccia-eaters.

Unhappy and overweight, she hires a personal trainer who lures her into joining the martial arts class he runs. There she learns the regime of the completely phoney martial arts master and embarks on a spiritual and literal journey which leads her to a hotel opposite the railway station at Crewe, the Weeping Women Hotel.

''If you like your weirdness with warmth and wit, Sayle''s your man'' Metro

''A funny, frightening book that is also refreshingly bonkers'' Guardian

''A brilliant writer...a great novelist'' Richard and Judy

Northern girl Harriet lives and works on a London estate which is a battleground between the white working class plus the immigrants versus the newly arrived middle class focaccia-eaters.

Unhappy and overweight, she hires a personal trainer who lures her into joining the martial arts class he runs. There she learns the regime of the completely phoney martial arts master and embarks on a spiritual and literal journey which leads her to a hotel opposite the railway station at Crewe, the Weeping Women Hotel.

''If you like your weirdness with warmth and wit, Sayle''s your man'' Metro