Not My Story

Imagine you have found the ideal new home for yourself and your young daughter after several years of upheaval. You can't believe your luck! Not only is the new house wonderful, but your handsome (single) neighbour introduces himself to you within the first week of your arrival and there is more than a hint of romance in the air. Then - the unthinkable happens. A home invasion and rape. Just six months after moving in. Not My Story traces the tumultuous journey of the author through the foreign landscape of rape survivor. It follows the twists and turns of the police investigation, from the gruelling statement-taking marathon to the comprehensive forensic examination on the morning of the assault. The depressing and traumatising process of creating an identikit image which yielded no result. The book explores how rape trauma affects us and documents from the inside one person's recovery process. The title asserts the author's conviction that survivors do not have to be defined by the actions of others. After the perpetrator's eventual capture the justice process began and here the glaring omissions of the victim's needs were all too apparent as the legal machinery ground into action. The rape raised so many questions about crime, prisons and the possibilities of restorative justice, and eventually the author braved a mediation conference with the unknown perpetrator 6 years after the assault. From the very morning of the assault, the author was gripped by the need for "something good" to come out of the atrocity. She tried working with the media, giving evidence to an Inquiry, and spent countless hours volunteering for grassroots organisations to introduce advocacy into the service delivery mix. She learned the hard way that more than good intent is required to bring about service enhancements in an area few people want to talk about. Not My Story is a kitchen sink memoir featuring a home invasion, rape, social and restorative justice, parenting and a love affair. If you have been assaulted, this book may speak to you; it is for you. If you have never been assaulted, this book will help you to support loved ones who have gone through this profoundly wounding experience. We need to talk about this stuff.