Groomed: A memoir about abuse, the search for justice and how we fail to keep our children safe

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Sonia Orchard

Groomed

A memoir about abuse, the search for justice and how we fail to keep our children safe

Sonia Orchard

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Paperback

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English

Affirm Press
01 February 2025

Memoirs; Biography - Australian

'The first thing I need to know,' I said to the detective, 'is has a crime been committed?' Sonia Orchard was in her forties when she told a therapist about the boyfriend she had when she was fifteen. Sure, he had been a decade older than her, but it was consensual ... wasn't it? To her surprise, Sonia broke down in tears, then began to shake uncontrollably - an unmistakable expression of trauma that lasted for days. She was clearly not okay, but could the relationship she'd thought was loving really have been abuse? Had she been groomed?

Years later, her own daughters now teenagers and the March4Justice changing the conversation about sexual assault, Sonia tentatively called the police. As she began the gruelling journey through the legal system, she saw how allegations of child abuse and sexual assault were routinely minimised, justified and rarely brought to light. Facing her own court case, she couldn't shake bigger questions: how had we allowed this to happen, and what would it take to fix it?

In Groomed, Orchard shifts between memoir and research in an attempt to answer these questions. She delves into culture, neuroscience and evolution, unpicking the enduring narratives that fuel these issues. As she navigates her way through a legal system stacked against victims of sexual assault, the obstacles to justice become clearer and more confronting than ever.

By: Sonia Orchard
Imprint: Affirm Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
Weight: 448g
ISBN: 9781922863829
ISBN 10: 1922863823
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 01 February 2025
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Sonia Orchard is the author of Something More Wonderful, The Virtuoso and Into the Fire.

Reviews for Groomed: A memoir about abuse, the search for justice and how we fail to keep our children safe

'Groomed is a powerful exploration of a subject we are not talking about enough, the sexual abuse of children. Approaching these heavy themes with vulnerability, Sonia Orchard's writing is impactful and enduring. Revisiting the experiences we have minimised with new insight is a vital step in dismantling the rape culture we all live in. With Groomed, Sonia has approached an urgent topic with clarity and conviction.' Hannah Ferguson