A woman recounts her experience of being raped twenty-five years ago and explores the event's profound influence on her life. She examines her feelings of helpless acceptance, self-blame, and denial, exposing and challenging her society's expectations of how she should react to this tragic experience.

Real Life contains ten perfectly formed stories—singular moments of emotional intensity about the inner lives we all lead. Each story presents the moments of "real life" that all of us experience, stripping away defences to reveal truths of pain, joy, anger, fear, or hope.

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