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Living in Turkey, Josie not only falls in love with her newly adopted country but also the charismatic Bechir. When finally married, Josie gets to ‘meet’ her real husband – a malignant narcissist who indulges in domestic abuse. Trapped in a cycle of abuse, apology, and forgiveness, she knows she must leave. But how?
Hope Became The Enemy
In her novel Hope became the Enemy Julie Hammond brings the reader up close and personal with the subjects of narcissism and domestic abuse.
However, despite its sombre and disturbing themes, this is far from a dark read. The author’s clever weaving in of all those moments that make falling in love so special – the adventure, fun and romance – has resulted in an easy flowing, entertaining and enjoyable read. And Julie Hammond’s own experiences of having lived and taught in Turkey add extra texture and depth to her storytelling.
Keen to set the record straight that domestic abuse is not a club solely for the weak and helpless, Julie Hammond should be applauded for tackling the issue and writing a book that leaves the reader empathetic to those who find themselves in such circumstances.
Book Synopsis
Hope Became The Enemy is the story of a young independent English woman, Josie. Looking for excitement and adventure, Josie decides on a career change and moves to Turkey to teach English.
As she slowly falls in love with her new life, she takes the reader on an exciting journey across Turkey, and through her eyes they learn about the cultures and traditions of this exotic country. Josie quickly finds that living in a patriarchal country is very different to the life she knew in the west.
By chance, while she is on holiday with friends on the west coast, she meets the tall, charismatic Bechir. Their relationship is rocky and has its ups and downs but a couple of years later, she accepts a proposal of marriage and soon falls pregnant with their first child. She settles down to live happily ever after with the man that she loves.
All too late she discovers that she is married to a malignant narcissist and is isolated from friends and family. Trapped in a cycle of abuse, apology, and forgiveness, she knows she must leave. But how?
About Julie Hammond
“One of my favourite authors is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and a couple of years ago I listened to her TED talk ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ and realised how often single stories affect the way in which we think about places, groups of people and situations. When a woman says that she is or has been a victim of domestic abuse people immediately conjure up a picture of her in their mind.”
Julie Hammond cares about women and would like the world to be a safer place for all women. She grew up in a village in Essex, but soon swopped a quiet rural life for the excitement of life in London. In her early twenties she flew out to Turkey to teach English.
Her proudest years there were spent teaching at a boarding school for underprivileged fatherless children. She had a great insight into the Turkish culture which enabled her to take the reader on an exciting journey through this exotic patriarchal country.
Find more from Julie Hammond:
Published by Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, Hope Became the Enemy is published on 31st May 2022 and is available in paperback (£8.99) and Kindle format on Amazon at https://www.waterstones.com/book/hope-became-the-enemy/julie-m-hammond/9781803780061and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hope-Became-Enemy-Julie-Hammond-ebook/dp/B09QQS6GK7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645524885&sr=8-1respectively.
It is also available to purchase on the publisher’s website at https://www.cranthorpemillner.com/product/julie-m-hammond-hope-became-the-enemy/
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