A Life Reclaimed

The book tells the story of a girl's struggle for freedom and happiness growing up within a strict family in a Moslem country (Turkey).

We vividly experience her tremendous frustration as she fights to have a normal childhood while at the same time trying to satisfy the demands of her neurotic and work-obsessed parents.

From the first page, the reader begins to identify with the little Aysha and feels the pain in her young heart.
As she grows, we accompany her through various traumas (abuse, neglect and harassment, a first relationship and separation), until her escape (aged 27) from her social and psychological confines. Despite often plumbing the depths of despair, she never loses her sense of hope and determination that she will one day find freedom and happiness.

Offering insight into how our experiences as children shape who we are today, it is in a sense a self-help book. The emotions that Aysha expresses are universal and will strike a chord with many people, particularly women.