The book tells her story from childhood, the love story with Mr. Pelicot, birth of their children, the good and bad times, and the horror that crept in unrecognised. It follows her into the courtroom, facing the videotape evidence of her ongoing abuse and seeing her lifeless body in numerous pictures. Unconsented, unaware. It is the back and forth between past and present that grants the reader breathing room while avoiding descent into voyeurism. Throughout the unimaginable horror, we hear the voice of an elderly women telling her story with precision, grace and a distance that, we as readers, can only thank her for. The darkness would have otherwise been intolerable. And it is testament to the excellent translation that one can hear a slight French accent linger over the words.

Little did Gisèle Pelicot know that the trial would catapult her from victim in one of the most prominent and shocking cases of rape into becoming a global light tower to women who suffered rape and abuse. The image of her appearance at court, in a scarf made by Aboriginal women gifted by the Australian Older Women’s Network, has become famous. Her round sunglasses worn on her way to court have made it on t-shirts and tote bags cherished by women worldwide.

This book is neither true crime nor biography. It is the story of a woman, through her own words, using a moment in time not only to free herself from horror and despair, but to shine a light in absolute darkness for all women worldwide.

 – Edda

BUY NOW