This memoir invites the reader into the heart and mind of a young Belgian girl as she shares events out of one year of her life, her voice supported by the vocabulary and understanding of the adult author. The child’s circumstances are brutal; she is being sold by a mentally ill mother into a murderous pedophile network. She desperately clings to the belief that in spite of all appearances, true love does exist, and searches for the faintest sign of it in the midst of hell. When her blind love for her mother is transferred onto a charming perpetrator, she experiences romantic passion, but is soon cast into abject betrayal and violence, ultimately leading to her certain demise. In the darkest of circumstances, a near-death experience shows her the truth underlying her phenomenal world, and she is given a glimpse of that great love for which she is so desperately seeking. Extreme, organized child abuse is horrifying, and often impossible to contemplate. And yet, acknowledging the reality of darkness is the first step towards healing. This account offers both the raw, cold facts as well as the resilience and grace from the victim’s perspective, revealing that the darkest of nightmares is rarely just that, but commensurate with gifts of light. This ten-year old’s journey suggests that heinous suffering can unlock hidden spiritual treasures of transcendence and unconditional love.
