Daddy's Girl - Rites of Passage

by Melissa Parker

This is the continuing story of ‘Daddy’s Girl’, the biographical account of Laura.It describes her journey from birth and early childhood in Notting Hill (at the time a run down area of post-war London) to her return to the city of her birth as a nineteen year old woman. The story so far ( in Volume 1 ) has followed Laura from London to Nottingham; emigration to Australia; return to the UK; bitter family feuds and rivalries; emotional abuse; frustrated ambitions and the misery of childhood deprivation and abject poverty.Desperate family circumstances disfigured her life chances with a relentless vengeance. It was as if an unseen and powerful force took great pleasure in delivering hammer blows to her confidence, self esteem and motivation to grow and prosper as a normal human being.Laura remained the target of ‘affection’ from her cruel and sadistic father. He gained great delight from his obsession of assaulting her with physical, emotional and sexual violence. Her battle against his demons is the story of the human condition - triumph of determination over oppression.This narrative connects with Laura’s story in her mid-teens, following her rites of passage as she approaches adulthood and emergence as a free, independent woman in her own right. It examines the toxic combination of surviving an abusive home environment and the frustrations of a young girl coping with the growing pains of adolescence. Overcast with a deep sense of despair, Laura’s story is living testimony to determination and hope overcoming adversity. 

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2012