The Only Girl in the World

• The most astonishing and uplifting memoir you’ll read this year. Raised in isolation, trained to be immune to torture and shock, Maude Julien had to find the strength to escape her own parents • As a child Julien experienced years of abuse at the hands of her father, who believed that by submitting her to tests of endurance he could turn his daughter into a superhuman • Julien was trained to hold an electric fence without flinching, was subjected to complete silence for weeks on end, was forced to become proficient in dozens of musical instruments and was regularly locked in a dark basement with only the rats to keep her company. What makes her account even more extraordinary is the fact that her mother had been her father’s adopted daughter: he had indoctrinated his adopted child, then married her with the aim of fathering a perfect being • Maude’s innocence, strong-mindedness and optimism throughout her traumatic upbringing provide an inspiring testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The tone of this book is joyful, and it’s so pageturning it reads like a novel • ‘This is not the umpteenth book about a miraculously saved victim. It is much more, and much better.’ Le Journal de Dimanche • Today, Maude Julien is a psychologist specialising in manipulation. She remains committed to ensuring appropriate care and rehabilitation is afforded to those who have faced similar traumas. She has also spent years in Australia conducting anthropological research among Indigenous people • Text acquired ANZ rights to The Only Girl in the World in a competitive international auction. A bestseller in France, Julien’s compelling memoir has now sold in multiple territories • This memorable, uplifting work of autobiography will be the subject of a strong publicity and marketing campaign from Text.