5 / 5 Stars
"My name is Julia. I am from Ukraine. I work as an entertainer in one of the many cabarets in Luxembourg City. In other words ... I am a prostitute." - Julia
Wow - although I feel as though wow isn't sufficient for the barrage of emotions this book brought out in me. You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover? I did - the beautiful cover is the reason I clicked on this book and I'm happy I did. This is unlike any book I've ever read before and I'm glad I chose it. Warning - this book is not for anyone who can't handle the twisted depravity that some people possess. It is a disturbing, heart wrenching, emotional, terrifying look at a world that not a lot of people witness, well not in my area of the world at least. The fact that it's based on a true story just makes it that much more horrifying.
The story is about a young Ukrainian girl named Julia, growing up in the corrupt post-Soviet Ukraine. She sees everyone around her living their lives barely able to survive. Going to work to put a minimal amount of food on the table and barely able to support their families. Her father has lost his job and the family is struggling to survive. She grows up in a strong, loving, intelligent family and has to contemplate life after school - will she go to University for 5 years to get a salary of $120 a month. To get married and have a family and barely be able to feed them? How is that something someone is to look forward to?
She sees friends coming home from Luxembourg with tons of money from working in the Cabarets. She is regaled by tales of the glamorous lifestyles and eventually her sisters go there too. No one wants her to join them there, but she struggles with the decision. She wants money, she wants to be able to live her life, her way, no financial issues - but what will she have to give up to do so?
Basically this is the story of the pieces of herself she has to give up for this lifestyle - and the ways she finds to cope. Drinking & Drugs. The things she is made to do is absolutely horrifying and literally made me cringe. The ways she is treated, like nothing more then a piece of meat, an object used to satisfy someones sexual appetites - no matter how disturbing they are - is really heartbreaking. Now there is the argument, she chose this life - as a lot of girls do - but how can you know what you would do in that situation. There is no 'promoting' the lifestyle, but it really is a very realistic look at what these woman have to do. I had to constantly remind myself that this is truth. There are people that live like this, that do this daily - it sure as hell popped the little bubble I live in. The thing that really bugs Julia is that she is OK with a lot of the things that happen to her. Could it be because of an incident in her childhood? Or is it because she really doesn't have any other viable options? There are a lot of moral questions raised in this book and it really makes you look at both sides of the coin - well it did for me anyway.
Trying to accept this lifestyle, while using too much blow and drinking too she trusts too easily. That bothered me a lot - the amount of trust she put in people, while seeing what degradations people are capable of. I don't think I'd trust anyone - but again, that's coming from my little bubble of suburban Canada - who am I to say? Needless to say, she gets screwed over ... a lot. She is drugged, she is raped, she is sodomized and she is lost. Feel for her or don't feel for her, the story fascinated me as this is the world we live in. This does happen. It's heartbreaking really.
OK, so I'll stop rambling and say this is really a book that I recommend. I found it fascinating and disturbing at the same time and I couldn't put it down. I'm so happy there will be a book two as I really want to see where this goes. Thank you Lola & I look forward to seeing more books from you!
“I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review”.
"My name is Julia. I am from Ukraine. I work as an entertainer in one of the many cabarets in Luxembourg City. In other words ... I am a prostitute." - Julia
Wow - although I feel as though wow isn't sufficient for the barrage of emotions this book brought out in me. You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover? I did - the beautiful cover is the reason I clicked on this book and I'm happy I did. This is unlike any book I've ever read before and I'm glad I chose it. Warning - this book is not for anyone who can't handle the twisted depravity that some people possess. It is a disturbing, heart wrenching, emotional, terrifying look at a world that not a lot of people witness, well not in my area of the world at least. The fact that it's based on a true story just makes it that much more horrifying.
The story is about a young Ukrainian girl named Julia, growing up in the corrupt post-Soviet Ukraine. She sees everyone around her living their lives barely able to survive. Going to work to put a minimal amount of food on the table and barely able to support their families. Her father has lost his job and the family is struggling to survive. She grows up in a strong, loving, intelligent family and has to contemplate life after school - will she go to University for 5 years to get a salary of $120 a month. To get married and have a family and barely be able to feed them? How is that something someone is to look forward to?
She sees friends coming home from Luxembourg with tons of money from working in the Cabarets. She is regaled by tales of the glamorous lifestyles and eventually her sisters go there too. No one wants her to join them there, but she struggles with the decision. She wants money, she wants to be able to live her life, her way, no financial issues - but what will she have to give up to do so?
Basically this is the story of the pieces of herself she has to give up for this lifestyle - and the ways she finds to cope. Drinking & Drugs. The things she is made to do is absolutely horrifying and literally made me cringe. The ways she is treated, like nothing more then a piece of meat, an object used to satisfy someones sexual appetites - no matter how disturbing they are - is really heartbreaking. Now there is the argument, she chose this life - as a lot of girls do - but how can you know what you would do in that situation. There is no 'promoting' the lifestyle, but it really is a very realistic look at what these woman have to do. I had to constantly remind myself that this is truth. There are people that live like this, that do this daily - it sure as hell popped the little bubble I live in. The thing that really bugs Julia is that she is OK with a lot of the things that happen to her. Could it be because of an incident in her childhood? Or is it because she really doesn't have any other viable options? There are a lot of moral questions raised in this book and it really makes you look at both sides of the coin - well it did for me anyway.
Trying to accept this lifestyle, while using too much blow and drinking too she trusts too easily. That bothered me a lot - the amount of trust she put in people, while seeing what degradations people are capable of. I don't think I'd trust anyone - but again, that's coming from my little bubble of suburban Canada - who am I to say? Needless to say, she gets screwed over ... a lot. She is drugged, she is raped, she is sodomized and she is lost. Feel for her or don't feel for her, the story fascinated me as this is the world we live in. This does happen. It's heartbreaking really.
OK, so I'll stop rambling and say this is really a book that I recommend. I found it fascinating and disturbing at the same time and I couldn't put it down. I'm so happy there will be a book two as I really want to see where this goes. Thank you Lola & I look forward to seeing more books from you!
“I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review”.