There is love, resilience and joy in this unforgettable story.

As soon as I read the publisher’s synopsis, I realised that this was likely to be a story I’d find disturbing. However, even though I was familiar with the events which had inspired the author to write her debut novel, I hadn’t imagined how quickly and completely I’d feel immersed in Kiara’s world and the challenges she faced on a daily basis. By the end of the first chapter, I was not only able to ‘hear’ her voice very clearly but knew that the immediately-convincing authenticity of her first-person narrative would hold me in thrall, making it difficult to put her story to one side, no matter how harrowing I was finding it to read about her experiences. I think this is a reflection of Leila Mottley’s exquisite use of language to bring Kiara, as well as each of her other characters, so vividly to life. Her ‘author’s note’ (featured at the end of the novel but perhaps worth reading first) captures the essence of what informed her writing, but it’s how she uses the passion which motivated her to write this story which makes it such a compelling and unforgettable read. She appears to have an innate ability to convert her highly perceptive observations of people, and what motivates their behaviour, into credible interactions between her characters.
Her capacity for empathy radiates through her prose, as does her determination to shine a light on racism, totally careless abuse of power, the grinding effects of poverty, of social inequity and apparent political indifference to those who are marginalised in societies where the gap between rich and poor, the ‘haves and the have nots’, has been growing wider recently rather than showing any signs of narrowing. Through Kiara’s eyes she enables her readers to examine the factors which inform the choices this young woman feels compelled to make as she attempts to negotiate a world where all the odds are stacked against her and she faces the ever-present threat of being made homeless because she cannot pay the rent. Sexual exploitation of vulnerable people always feels shocking but that sense of shock is compounded when it’s perpetrated by police officers who use the threat of exposure and prosecution, to control their victims. The author very effectively captured how, in the justice system as well as in the ‘court of public opinion’, the odds are all too often stacked against victims of sexual abuse.
Initially I thought that the bright pink dust jacket seemed totally inappropriate for such a dark and disturbing story. However, one of the storylines which emerges (no spoilers, but it does involve finding expression and joy in using colour!) made me realise that the choice was perfect because, in spite of all the horrors and privations she was experiencing in her young life, Kiara was able to retain her capacity for seeing beauty and for experiencing love and joy. I felt in awe of her resilience and her determination to protect those she loved, whilst simultaneously feeling a sense of rage that her life, through no fault of her own, was such a relentless struggle.