The Lost Girl by
Caroline Roberts
pbk out April 05
(Metro Publishing)
at £7.99
Subtitled How I Triumphed Over Life At The Mercy Of Fred And Rose
West, this is the Wests' nanny's story. But the book is about much more
than being assaulted by Britain's worst serial killers: it charts Caroline's
difficult childhood and her equally unhappy teenage years. Believing that
she was both bad and inadequate, she drifted from one job to the next and
had equally unstable relationships with men.
But Caroline found the courage to testify at Rose West's trial, telling a
court filled with strangers of the indignities which Rose had subjected her
to. She also rose above skewed tabloid headlines which suggested that
she was Fred West's sexual slave.
There will be a few raised eyebrows - mine reached my fringe - at her
belief that she's in touch with the dead victims' spirits, but there's no
doubting her sincerity. This is an incredibly honest and brave book which
must have been difficult to write. She looks back at her past relationships
and sees how she added to their complexity, recognising that as adults
'we are what we want to be.' She adds 'I'm hungry to learn, I want to
travel, I want to experience life now, not drift through it aimlessly just
waiting for the weekend.'
This, then, is the story of a lost girl who has found herself, a story which
takes us from traumatised victim to triumphant survivor. She's now
dedicated her life to helping others and has become a drug and alcohol
counsellor.
I read this unusual autobiography in a day and a half and found it a
compelling and courageous read.
