AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME: Anna Rajmon
AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS: www.annarajmon.com
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REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Abigail Adams
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[Note—this book is rated 18+. -Ed]
I’ll say this up-front: Elis is an absolutely incredible book.
This memoir tells the tale of a single mom who got caught up in toxic relationships and ended up going into sex work to make ends meet. The author, Anna, suffered the sorts of things many of us should be thankful to never encounter in our lives. She doesn’t mince words or try to glamorize the life she led, and that makes her story a very honest and emotional one. When you pick up this book, prepare yourself for an emotional roller-coaster, because there are scenes here that will really get to you.
Funnily enough, you’ll find yourself laughing a lot when you read this book as well. Anna is very funny in how she describes the people she met, the places she has been to, and the situations she found herself in. That she is able to treat some of the awful experiences she had to deal with in a joking way is inspiring. This is a really strong woman—she’s very open about the fact that she was treated badly, but she vows to carry on and enjoy her life with her family now that she got out of sex work. You can’t help but admire the determination that she shows, even when she admits to the pain that she carries within her as a result of her experiences.
The book is very well written, and there are some lovely pictures that she has drawn to help tell her story. But while the great writing, the humor, and the pictures do help bring some levity to Anna’s story, the story itself is overall a very heavy one, and the situations that Anna found herself in are ones that many women could too easily find themselves in.
Even though she is a smart woman with professional work experience, Anna Rajmon found herself in sex work because her financial situation forced her to find additional means to support her family. No woman, whether they choose to go into sex work or not, deserves to go through what happened to Anna. The horrible treatment that she suffered from her clients is unforgiveable, and it is something that many women who find themselves in sex work endure as a daily occurrence.
It must have taken a lot of courage for Anna to write this book and share her story with the world. We all should read it, and learn from it. What happened to Anna could happen to any woman—your sister, your daughter, your friend, anyone. The greater awareness that Elis will bring to your view of the world is one of the many benefits you will get from reading the book, for while Anna’s experiences happened in Ireland and the Czech Republic, they are experiences that can happen anywhere.
I wish Anna Rajmon the very best of luck, and hope that she has a lovely life with her family. She deserves it, and she also deserves our thanks. Because in writing Elis, she has provided us with a clear window into a world which a lot of us either don’t know about or misunderstand completely. Her memoir is a great corrective to any misunderstandings around sex work. Very highly recommended.
This review was originally published at Story Circle Book Reviews, and the original review can be found here: https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/elis-irish-call-girl/
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER: I’m Abigail, and I’m a big book lover who is interested in all genres.
REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER: @AAdams22700
ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED:
Despite her education and professional achievements, Anna Rajmon found herself in a difficult situation where she turned to prostitution to support her daughter. This experience inspired her to write a book to shed light on a world that many are curious about but few understand. Through her story, she hopes to caution girls considering entering the world of escorting and bring awareness to the dangers associated with this lifestyle.
She is on Twitter/X at @AnnaRajmon
