Innocent
The story of a shattered childhood
- ISBN: 978-1905379-57-6
- Published: 1st September 2008
At first, she believed his behaviour to be normal, an expression of love even – like kissing and hugging – and that all fathers must behave in this way with their daughters. It was just something nobody talked about.
Audrey Delaney was just three years old when her father began sexually abusing her. But Audrey soon began to question how something so supposedly loving could feel so terrible. She worried that she was secretly responsible for what was happening – that she was innately dirty and this was why her father climbed into bed beside her every night.
Innocent is a heart-rending account of a childhood destroyed by abuse and betrayal. But ultimately, Audrey’s story is one of hope and triumph. After finding the courage to confess the abuse to her family, Audrey and six other victims embarked on a long and harrowing court case in a quest for justice. Audrey was the only victim to waive her right to anonymity and she did so in the hope that she might inspire and give strength to other victims of child abuse.
Her story dispels the common myth of child abusers as larger-than-life monsters. It is not always the stranger offering sweets who possess the greatest threat, but sometimes it is the very person you are taught to love and trust above everyone else who causes the most damage.
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Reviews
Austin Lynch, The Evening Herald.Innocent' is a tragic, upsetting yet moving story of one woman struggling to deal with the aftermath of child sexual abuse. Yet, it is ultimately a powerful and inspiring story.
The Anglo-Celt.A brave mother released this book, documenting the sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of her father.