Cirrus@Austlit

'A gripping autobiographical account of two years spent in psychotherapy to deal with childhood sexual abuse, this uplifting story is written in two parts: as a dialogue between the patient and her psychiatrist and as a conversation with her mother and sister. The emotions accompanying the narrator's prolonged sexual abuse as a child by her mother’s sexual partners slowly unravel and it becomes clear that her mother was aware of the abuse but failed to protect her daughter. Initially a naive, overwhelmed, and confused child, unable to keep a job or develop relationships, the author eventually grows into a clear-thinking adult, aware of her past and capable of understanding its psychological implications.' (Publisher's description)