Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, published from beyond the grave, is a tough read as it takes us into the darkest corners of humanity and then shines a light on the worst excesses of the powerful.
She lifts the lid on a life torn apart by abuse in a no-holds-barred book, which claims figures such as Prince Andrew preyed on her.
The chapter titles in Nobody’s Girl are relentlessly negative, with one near the end of the 367 pages ‘From Bad to Worse.’
That was referring to more lurid allegations about paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is languishing in a US jail.
On her, Giuffre writes: ‘She was pulling the strings. I would like to see Ghislaine stay in jail forever. I would like her to apologise for what she’s done to me and so many others.’
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The catalogue of allegations of abuse allegations made by Giuffre in the book is far beyond uncomfortable reading.
It is excruciatingly sad to hear the desperation of a woman who claims she was abused by her father, only to be then flung into a life where she was ‘on tap’ for men teed up by Maxwell.
Those, she alleges, include Prince Andrew, who vehemently denies any sexual liaison with her.
She claims he acted as if he were ‘entitled’ to have sex with her.
Her anger jumps off the page as she describes her fight back against the cabal of wealthy, powerful and vindictive people she says have ruined her life.
Her childhood, in which she describes riding her beloved horse and ‘splashing in ponds and climbing trees,’ is short-lived as she alleges she was sexually abused by figures who should have been trusted adults.
It’s impossible not to be impressed by the level of detail in many of the allegations made in the book. Prince Andrew, she says, was wearing a shirt open at the neck and with ‘French cuffs’ she said of their first meeting.
These descriptions are far from flowery, and the book is written in a way that clearly seemed to be literally ‘matter of fact’.
What comes across is a woman who, rather than burying her past, is facing it head-on.
However, you don’t need to read between the lines in this book – the toll her legal and moral battle has taken on her is clear. She rails against investigators and insists there are tapes retrieved from Epstein’s properties, which will implicate many others in his visceral and debauched circle.
She told her collaborator on the book before she died through suicide that it should be published even if she passed away.
Nobody’s Girl reads as an attempt to give other victims the courage to face their abusers, even if the fight is against apparently overwhelming odds.
On the penultimate page of the book she sets out the mission she hoped to have accomplished.
She writes: ‘If you’ve read this so far, I hope my story has moved you to seek ways to free yourself from a bad situation, say, to stand up for someone else in need, or to simply reframe how you judge the victims of sexual abuse.’
Nobody’s Girl has undoubtedly ensured that Giuffre’s case will pour fuel on the scandal, which is being probed by the US political establishment and leaves Prince Andrew a much reduced figure in terms of his status in the Royal family and beyond.
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