Adah is a single mother of five, living in a dank, crumbling housing estate for ‘problem families’, avoiding the rats and rubbish. It’s not quite the new start in London she had planned. As she navigates the complicated welfare system that keeps her trapped in poverty, can she cling to her dream of a better life, and find somewhere that feels like home? ‘In the Ditch’, Emecheta’s debut novel, began life as a column in the New Statesman, bringing to life a world and experience rarely glimpsed on the page. Drawing on first-hand experience, an unflinching eye for detail and unfailing sense of humour, Emecheta paints a moving picture of life for families trapped in the British welfare system: the difficult choices and false hopes as well as the unexpected friendships that prove essential for survival.