Runaway: Surviving against all the odds

by Emily MacKenzie

The Sunday Times Bestseller “It was as if Pandora’s Box had been opened. The course of my life changed and in one moment, I went from being a cherished child to an abused child. I was marked.” Adopted at birth in 1956, Emily enjoyed a golden childhood, until at age seven, her mother began to see her as a rival and turned on her. She developed a habit of beating her and encouraged her new husband, a narcissistic bully, to whip her. By the time Emily was twelve, he was sexually abusing her. Emily found her way into the care system, where she was vulnerable to the worst excesses of male violence. She ran away to London and was drawn into life as an underage prostitute, servicing perverted clients. It was only when she was almost murdered that she turned her life around. Set principally between 1966 and 1972, Runaway is a shocking book that brilliantly captures the sleazy Soho of the period and exposes the frightening conditions in which many children were kept in care. Emily MacKenzie works with disenfranchised people in the UK care industry and has a post-graduate diploma in counselling. She lives in the north of England. Emily MacKenzie is a pseudonym.

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2020

Reviews

[Larry Landgraf · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spite of needing a final proofing and a few minor corrections I still give Runaway five stars due to its extreme story of survival and the empathy I felt for Emily as I read her story. This book is a real eye-opener. The story takes place in the 1970s. It’s not the dark ages though it really was for Emily. It’s hard to believe people can be so twisted and brutal. Parents are supposed to provide a caring and loving home for their children. Her step-dad should have been strung up in the nearest tree but her mother was no better. Emily was beaten and abused to the extreme. But this was only the tip of the iceberg for this young girl. For five years she grew to accept this as normal and it really was normal for her but this should never have happened. Her biological dad didn’t know what was going on and he only had occasional contact with Emily. Her love for him was probably the only thing that saved her. If she could only have told him what was happening but like I said, she grew to think the abuse was normal, and besides, she was too ashamed to tell anyone. A little later in the story, as she was moved from care home to care home, the ‘system’ too failed her as well and failed miserably. The system not only failed her, but it also got progressively worse. You will love this book as you hate almost everything that happens. It’s a lot like rooting for the underdog in a race. I hope you will take a little time to read this story. I’m glad I did.

[Carol Hennessey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly Brilliant

Such a powerful story of how easy it is to go down the wrong road of life but to stay strong and keep pushing forward too.

[Sharron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine

This is a story of a young woman who endured more pain than humanly possible. My hope for is that she has the much deserved good life

[Julie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women

A heart wrenching page turner.so real ,true to live characters.what some girls and women live threw is heartbreaking.I liked the ending .