Abandoned

Separated from her real mother at birth, Anya grew up in terror of her drunken bullying uncle. Beaten, humiliated and sexually abused by him from the age of six, she thought her life couldn't get worse. But one day it did.

"I was used to Daddy screaming 'whore's child' at me, over and over again. But I couldn't get used to what he made me do."

Anya was too terrified to tell anybody about what her uncle did to her. But then he got careless and started abusing her in front of the other children. When her brothers started calling her a 'whore', Anya cracked and all her terrible secrets came pouring out.

Anya had always coped because there was one woman who loved her deeply, her 'Mummy'. But this time love was not enough. One morning 'Mummy' just left.

Determined to make a new life, Anya buried her feelings and tried to move on. But when she ended up homeless, living in her car, she knew she had to face her past if she was ever going to find happiness and security again.

Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller, Abandoned is Anya's inspirational story of her fight to find love, acceptance and a place to belong.

Reviews

‘Truly Inspirational’ The Sun

'An uplifting story of survival.' Elle magazine

‘Hugely inspiring … Anya’s story gave me goose bumps.’ Jane Elliott, author of The Little Prisoner

'A powerful and utterly compelling story of a child’s staggering courage.’ Judy Westwater, author of Street Kid

‘A highly emotional story well told.' Evening Telegraph

About the author

During a 9-month spell of homelessness, Anya started to describe her experiences by accessing the internet in her local library and writing an online journal. Her blog soon built up a regular readership and helped raise awareness of the issue of the ‘hidden homeless’. Anya now lives in rented accommodation