In a good and just world, we would all sail through childhood on a solid foundation of unequivocal love, happiness and protection. But it is not always such a world, and for Margaret Lygnos, growing up amid a fractured set of adults and a life changed dramatically by the early death of her father, challenges were thrust upon her which, but for a quick mind and a fortuitous inner strength, could have had destructive consequences. In Ladder on the Fence, Margaret draws a compelling and captivating picture of the joys and fun of her childhood in suburban Melbourne, and also reveals the hardships that can fall upon any family through the vagaries of circumstance.