After being so moved by Gisèle Pelicot’s book, which I posted about- I listened back-to-back to her daughter Caroline Darian’s powerful book.
It was so interesting to hear their experiences through a very different lens and way of surviving and processing. Whilst there are overlaps, it offers another layer, another perspective, and another set of questions. There is far more detail about some of the other crimes he and the other men carried out, the investigations, the uncertainty, and the devastating impact of not knowing.
What struck me most was yet another reminder of how trauma can send shockwaves through a whole relational ecosystem. The magnitude of the impact is massive and incomprehensible. The pain of the unknown, of not being believed, of searching for answers, and the utter horror at the mismatch between the man she thought she knew vs the one who she discovered. The shattered memories.
I was also struck by her amazing and important advocacy around those abused through chemical submission and the importance of greater awareness, recognition, and support.