The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir

‘A living testimony of resilience…An account as gripping as it is inspiring.’ * Elle *‘Maude Julien delivers a staggering testimony, one that remains full of hope.’ * Ouest France *‘A serious subject: manipulation, in which the author is now a professional therapist. Maude Julien does not write with resentment, or bear grievances; rather she delivers a clear message of hope.’ * Livreshebdo *‘This story is never maudlin—it is so absorbing that you have to remind yourself to breathe from time to time.’ * Le Point *‘Her book offers a ray of hope.’ * Metro Belgique *‘A fascinating and inspirational read.’ * BookMooch *‘A fantastic memoir that I recommend highly. It’s a unique survivorship novel of what cults can do to children, but how the resilience of children can create positive outcomes.’ * Cosy Dragon *‘Harrowing, heartbreaking, and against-all-odds uplifting…Julien’s voice is eloquent, composed, understated – the facts of the story are devastating enough. They require no emotive embellishment. That she recounts these experiences in the present tense, however, gives the book a gripping and visceral immediacy…Maude Julien is genuinely a super human.’ * Saturday Paper *‘This fascinating memoir never wallows in misery…Triumphant.’ * Cairns Post *‘A deeply moving story of resilience and the power of the human spirit to find beauty and love amid the bleakest circumstances.’ * Good Reading *‘[Julien’s] growing independence of mind and fierce hunger for freedom make for an ultimately uplifting read.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *‘Your heart will break out in symphonies. This is an astonishing story, told in lucid, intelligent prose.’ * Australian *

Maude Julien works as a psychotherapist, specialising in mind and behavioural control, emotional manipulation and trauma, and conducts anthropological research among Indigenous Australians. She lives in Paris.

Ursula Gauthier is a journalist at the French weekly magazine L’Obs and the author and co-author of many works. She lives in Paris.

Adriana Hunter is the prize-winning translator of writers including Catherine Millet, Amelie Nothomb and Veronique Olmi.