"Thin tall lights tower over the familiar freeway. I drive under the Clifton Hill bridge, into the early evening traffic towards cosy eastern suburbia, the summer sun still lighting up the sky.

I am on ‘auto-pilot’. My mind is in another place, another time.

‘Have you ever been sexually abused?’

What had he meant when he asked that question? Why did he ask it?

At the time, I hesitated, just for a second, before answering, ‘No.’

And he moved on to the next question. But it caught my breath. Like a fly in the sticky threads of a spider’s web, my mind could not shake itself free."

Thus begins Monique Lisbon’s journey of self-exploration and reflection, as she pieces life together after childhood sexual abuse.

Incorporating poignant vignettes, reflective analysis, and original music, this audiobook, incorporating 16 original songs, creatively explores a range of psychological and spiritual themes, focusing particularly on issues arising from abuse by a trusted caregiver.

The final section grapples with an essential question: how understanding one’s own history can help in the process of "living forward"; learning new, healthier patterns of relating to oneself and others.

Fragments of Home is an invaluable resource for survivors of abuse, as well as the friends, family members, pastoral workers and other "caring professionals" who support them. It is accessible to those largely unacquainted with literature on abuse and trauma, whilst offering fresh insights to those already familiar with these themes.

Fragments of Home is the first title in Monique Lisbon’s evolving story of hope, and is followed by two other books: Keeping Mum: The Silent Cost of Surviving Childhood Sexual Abuse and Inch by Inch: Finding a Home within My Skin.

Fragments of Home includes a full length album of songs by the author.