Daddy's Little earner
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Daddy's Little earner.
Author: Maria Landon
A scene in a typical family:
Mom and her daughter: "Sweetheart have some food"
"Mom!! I said I am not hungry...!!!" Stomps out of the room.
"Daddy I want a Barbie...!!!"
"Sure My darling. Anything you want..." Says her dad.
We must have had similar situations in our life. Involving us and our parents. I am sure each one of us can vouch that our parents have done their best to give us everything we have ever asked for. Everything that is in their capacity to give us a happy and comfortable childhood. However, at one point or the other we have taken our parents for granted.
Coming to the review of the book "Daddy's Little Earner" by Maria Landon. I picked this book up on my last trip to UK and I read it on my way back to India. I didn't sleep a wink. This is an amazing story of a little girl's escape from violence and abuse - mental, sexual and emotional. This is a story about a girl whose destiny was unfortunately written by her own dad the day she was born. "Maria will be the best prostitute in the area" announced her dad the day she was born. The things never were good for her but it kept getting worse.
This is story of a girl who comes from a broken family with an alcoholic & schizophrenic father who gets violent at the slightest pretext and an alcoholic mother who eventually deserts her children and runs for her life and sanity. "I am the only one who will ever love you" told Maria's dad to her, and she believed him. She loves her dad too much and doesn't protest even when he starts to sexually abuse her. She doesn't protest even when her dad sells her as a commodity to anyone willing to pay for her. She lives through numerous foster homes and care centres, living on drugs and alcohol, only to come back to her father, everytime he needed her.
The only thing she ever wanted was to have a child and a husband who would take her away from the hell her life was and for her daddy to love her like the father's of other girls love them and not abuse her. Does she ever pick up the courage to stand up against her father? Is her dad ever punished for all his sins? Does Maria find her happiness? Does Maria find her prince charming? Does Maria get out of the hell that her life has become? Well, go grab a copy of this book to know the answers.
All I can say is that after reading this book, I said a million prayers of Gratitude to God for giving me the parents that I have and all that they have done for me. A very touching book that makes you squirm with disgust and pity at the same time.
A must read.
