What is the Elis about?​​​

 

I will start with the unpleasant truth: Elis is a memoir.

Memoirs generally don’t have the best reputation. Most are written by people under the mistaken impression that their life is so extraordinary, it simply must be shared with the world.

They’re usually dull and more likely to send you to sleep than keep you turning the pages.

 

However, as with everything, there are exceptions.

And I dare to believe – just as every author does – that Elis is one of them.

 

This book is written raw, emotionally, and honestly, with a fair dose of sarcasm. It is accompanied by illustrations to help the reader step more deeply into the story of a young woman who, due to a string of unfortunate circumstances, found herself in the underbelly of Irish society.

To provide for her daughter, she began offering escort services, disgusted with herself, yet determined. Later, she wrote a book about it.

Yes, the young woman is me. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is something I believe is important to share.

 

The book captures both beautiful moments and the darkest ones. Emotions range from warm and tender to those that eat away at you from the inside. It is, quite simply, a story about the cruelty of fate, the harshness of human nature, but also the redeeming sides of humanity.

 

It offers a look into the world’s oldest profession, challenging some of the stigma that surrounds it. It is controversial, yes, but also deeply different.

 

Summarising it is difficult, it needs to be read. I’ve received some incredibly kind feedback, and I can only hope it might resonate with you as well.

 

It means a lot to me, not only because it reflects three years of my life, but because I managed to turn something deeply negative into something I dare call meaningful. Along the way, I also discovered that writing is exactly what I want to do. So, of course, I continue.