The Girl with the Duck Tattoo: A Memoir

by Sarma Melngailis

Sarma had a thriving restaurant, a beloved brand, and a to change the way people eat.

From the outside, her life appeared charmed—celebrity patrons, glowing press, and a business on the brink of expansion—until she met the man who would dismantle it all and ultimately land her in jail.

The enigmatic “Mr. Fox” barreled into her life with promises of unlimited funding, boundless empowerment, even immortality. What he delivered instead was fear, coercive control, and catastrophic financial ruin.

The Girl with the Duck Tattoo is a raw, unflinching memoir of how one smart, driven woman went from building a dream to being ensnared in a cult of one. It’s a wild ride through delusion and deceit, a cautionary tale of idealism weaponized, and a tribute to the dog who helped bring her back to herself.

654 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2025

About the author

Sarma Melngailis is the owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine raw food Raw foodism restaurant in New York City and the founder and CEO of One Lucky Duck.

Reviews

[Michelle Kimber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a powerful memoir highlighting the trauma but resilience of the author. She experienced something truly devastating and chronicles it with well written raw emotion.

[Britt ⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚]

DNFing because I’m starting to suspect that the payoff is not going to be worth 700+ pages. There are plenty of YouTube videos and a whole docuseries I could watch.

[Ke* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, honest, and heartbreakingly real !

I recommend listening to the audio book.

[Crystal Imery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!! Lots of suspense! Hard to imagine going thru this. Her love for Leon was my favorite part to read.

[Arlene Thayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poorly edited.

[Alan Umbria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of Sarma’s story like everyone else from the Netflix documentary “Bad Vegan” For those who think that is the story you do not even know the half of it. I have followed this story for a while and have always been interested in cults and their effects on those caught in its web. What makes this story unique is that she was in a cult of one.

I first heard of Sarma’s story like everyone else from the Netflix documentary “Bad Vegan” For those who think that is the story you do not even know the half of it. I have followed this story for a while and have always been interested in cults and their effects on those caught in its web. What makes this story unique is that she was in a cult of one.

Her story is harrowing, it is not gentle and at times hard to read because of the psychological and physical abuse she endured, but this is more a story of a woman reclaiming her narrative and her life. I found myself caught in the web of her story as it spiraled out of control. The story will bring up every possible emotion. You will be angry (to the point of rage), you will shed tears (to point that you want hug and console and try to offer any act of kindness you can), and unbelievably she will make you laugh. Believe me amidst the horrors that she was going through there were more lol moments I’ve had reading a book in a very long time.

I cannot recommend this book more. It is important. Rarely do you feel an authors heart and soul in the words written on the page. This book will stay with me for a very long time!

Read it!! It is impossible to put down!!

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this book … the writing is neither terrific nor terrible and I was not exactly rooting for Sarma. But I COULD NOT put it down. Tore through all 730 pages (which, btw, who other than Barack Obama writes a 730 page memoir?!) in about a week. Not sure I recommend it but the story is fascinating.

[Jae Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like so many other people I binge watched the “Bad Vegan” series. I wasn’t familiar with the situation going in but by the time I finished it I was absolutely gobsmacked by Sarma’s story. It stuck with me and I followed her on Insta and eventually read her memoir. A repeat thought I had while reading this book is how excruciating it must have been to mentally relive and articulate into words everything that went down. Sarma did a good job considering and I found it insightful that she talked about her younger years and a prior relationship with a somewhat toxic food industry individual. It helped in understanding the eventual catastrophe that was Mr. Fox. The chat logs were painful reads and some I had to gloss over. They were important to include because they’re evidence of a gradual manipulation; the methodical chiseling away of a person’s psyche, sense of normalcy, and autonomy.

[Wendy Zangari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Way To Describe a Coercive Hostage Situation

Sarma did a great job in letting the audience know that there are people out there that can manipulate a malleable brain, no matter how intelligent. Given the right circumstances anyone can be manipulated into anything. I give Sarma a lot of credit for coming out to the public and explaining her side of the story. Netflix didn't do her justice and should work on a sequel to extrapolate the truth from the initial series. I also think that justice should be served! Shane, Mr. Fox, Anthony, Michael, whomever he is, he should be in prison for life. He is a nemesis of society. I also hope that Sarma can give herself a hug, and know she is loved by many! Including me, a friend she met when we were just five years old.

[Jessica Parke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating read. A little long, but I see why Sarma wanted to include all the messages sent back and forth. I thought I might get a better understanding of why and how people fall under the spell of another person reading her story, but as Sarma herself still does not understand how it happened, it fails to make that clear. It does tell the honest story from her perspective though, and it is still a book worthy of anyone's time.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl with the Duck Tattoo blew me away on so many levels. A cautionary tale that’s also a page-turner. Sarma’s infectious warmth and commitment to relentless self-reflection put this beautifully written memoir in a league of its own. You’ll close this book rooting for her. Sarma is Batman rising from rock bottom.

[Sarah Matas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, and painful to read at times but such a compelling story. For those interested in understanding the depths to which humans can go in their sick attempts to control others, it’s a must-read. Vulnerability led Sarma to a terrible place and many people she cared about were hurt but it can also be a gift and my hope is that this tendency is now a gift in her life.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been following Sarma's story since watching the doc several years ago, so I really appreciated the chance to hear her side of the story. She deserves full credit for her vulnerability and raw (excuse the pun) honesty. Also, I recommend listening to the audio book which Sarma narrates. It's like having a conversation with a friend. Going to miss her company while I travel, shop etc!

[Stacy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painful but important

I found Sarma’s story so painful to read. At every turn I was screaming out for her to stop letting this man control her. But her story isn’t new. People like her abuser exist and this cautionary (and extremely raw) tale might help someone else.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down

This piece is uniquely intriguing plus Sarma's writing told the story in a gripping way, thought-provoking, mind-boggling, interesting in many ways.

[Heather Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the documentary and when I saw she wrote a book I had to get it. I can sympathize with her being brainwashed. Very good memoir.

[Laura Palmer]

What a mess…

[Wildchild · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope a second book comes...; I am very interested to learn how she dealt with trauma bond issues afterwards.

[Sophia Mondi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided on reading The Girl with the Duck Tattoo after watching the Netflix documentary Bad Vegan, and I would actually recommend doing it in that order. The documentary provides the framework, while the book fills in many of the details and gives you a much deeper look into Sarma’s perspective.

It’s a long read, and at times I found myself wishing it had been edited down (sorry). That said, it’s interesting (manipulation, self-deception, and proof that intelligent people can find themselves in situations that seem impossible to conjure from the outside). If you have watched Bad Vegan and it left you with unanswered questions, it’s worth the read!