The Little Girl on the Ice Floe

"Life itself is in these pages: in this candid, poetic style there is storytelling of real quality" - LEILA SLIMANI, author of LULLABY

A powerful and personal account of the devastating consequences of childhood rape: a valuable voice for the #MeToo conversation.

Adelaide Bon grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in Paris, a privileged child with a loving family, lots of friends and seemingly limitless opportunity lying ahead of her. But one sunny afternoon, when she was nine years old, a strange man followed her home and raped her in the stairwell of her building. She told her parents, they took her to the police, the fact of the crime was registered ... and then a veil was quietly drawn over that part of her childhood, and life was supposed to go on.

Except, of course, it didn't.

Throughout her adolescence and young adulthood, Adelaide struggles with the aftermath of the horror of that afternoon in 1990. The lingering trauma pervades all aspects of her life: family education, friendships, relationships, even her ability to eat normally. And then one day, many years later, when she is married and has a small son, she receives a call from the police saying that they think they have finally caught the man who raped her, a man who has hidden in plain sight for decades, with many other victims ready to testify against him. The subsequent court case reveals Giovanni Costa, the stuff of nightmares and bogeymen, finally vanquished by the weight of dozens and dozens of emotional and horrifying testimonies from all the women whose lives and childhoods he stole.

“Life itself is in these pages: in this candid, poetic style there is storytelling of real quality - Le Monde Vividly conveys the survivor's emotions of shame, rage, and fear but also offers-slowly, tentatively-hope for healing. - Kirkus ReviewsAt a time when the words of victims of sexual violence are breaking free, this testimony entrances with its political scope and cerebral quality - Livres HebdoA heartrending and precious account. Rare and essential. - Marianne Magnificently written , the shocking story of a long recovery - FigaroAdelaide Bon takes hold of this painful subject and delivers, with remarkable perspective and finesse , the pathos-free account of her pain and trauma. A heart-breaking book - ParisienIt's her first book, and it hits hard - Figaro”

Life itself is in these pages: in this candid, poetic style there is storytelling of real quality - Le Monde

Vividly conveys the survivor's emotions of shame, rage, and fear but also offers-slowly, tentatively-hope for healing. - Kirkus Reviews

At a time when the words of victims of sexual violence are breaking free, this testimony entrances with its political scope and cerebral quality - Livres Hebdo

A heartrending and precious account. Rare and essential. - Marianne

Magnificently written, the shocking story of a long recovery - Figaro

Adelaide Bon takes hold of this painful subject and delivers, with remarkable perspective and finesse, the pathos-free account of her pain and trauma. A heart-breaking book - Parisien

It's her first book, and it hits hard - Figaro

Adelaide Bon is a French writer, actress and voice artist. She is graduate of the Ecole Superieure d'Art Dramatique in Paris, and she has acted in state theatres and for television, and devised and performed in numerous shows in factories, trains, museums, and conferences. In parallel, she completed five years of training on issues of gender equality under the auspices of a feminist company partnered with the European Association Against Violence Against Women and the Memoire Traumatique association led by Dr Muriel Salmona. She lives in Paris. The Little Girl on the Ice Floe is her first book, published in France in March 2018.

"Life itself is in these pages: in this candid, poetic style there is storytelling of real quality" - LEILA SLIMANI, author of LULLABY A powerful and personal account of the devastating consequences of childhood rape: a valuable voice for the #MeToo conversation. Adelaide Bon grew up in a wealthy neighborhood in Paris, a privileged child with a loving family, lots of friends and seemingly limitless opportunity lying ahead of her. But one sunny afternoon, when she was nine years old, a strange man followed her home and raped her in the stairwell of her building. She told her parents, they took her to the police, the fact of the crime was registered ... and then a veil was quietly drawn over that part of her childhood, and life was supposed to go on.Except, of course, it didn't.Throughout her adolescence and young adulthood, Adelaide struggles with the aftermath of the horror of that afternoon in 1990. The lingering trauma pervades all aspects of her life: family education, friendships, relationships, even her ability to eat normally. And then one day, many years later, when she is married and has a small son, she receives a call from the police saying that they think they have finally caught the man who raped her, a man who has hidden in plain sight for decades, with many other victims ready to testify against him. The subsequent court case reveals Giovanni Costa, the stuff of nightmares and bogeymen, finally vanquished by the weight of dozens and dozens of emotional and horrifying testimonies from all the women whose lives and childhoods he stole.

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