Paperback: Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a 15-year-old Irish teenager, living a neglected life on the margins of society.
On a bright spring afternoon in West Belfast, their paths collide during a horrifying act of violence.
In the aftermath, each is forced to confront the chain of events that led to the attack.
Inspired by true events, Dark Chapter (2017) is a story of the dark chapters and chance encounters that can irrevocably determine the shape of our lives.
If you have been affected by this book, there are many resources out there, including:
UK: rapecrisis.org.uk or rapecrisisscotland.org.uk or 0808 802 9999
Ireland: rapecrisishelp.ie or 1 800 778888
About the author: Winnie M Li is a writer, producer, and activist. And frequent backpacker who has somehow managed to spend the past 20 years, engaged in storytelling and culture in various parts of the world.
Taiwanese-American and raised in New Jersey, Winnie studied Folklore and Mythology at Harvard, specializing in Celtic Languages and Literature. In 2000, she was selected as a George Mitchell Scholar and earned her MA in Anglo-Irish Literature at the National University of Ireland, Cork. While there, Winnie began volunteering for the Cork International Film Festival. Shortly afterwards, she moved to London to work for Ugly Duckling Films / Left Turn Films, a small independent film production company. Eventually as Head of Development there, Winnie was involved in producing six award-winning feature films and two shorts, one of which was Oscar-nominated® and the other Oscar-shortlisted®. In addition to overseeing script development at Ugly Duckling Films, Winnie concentrated heavily on the marketing, financing, and distribution of their projects.
Winnie’s career and life took a sudden turn in 2008, when she was followed by a stranger in a park outside Belfast and brutally raped. The case was widely covered by the local media. This prompted a long period of recovery, followed by a change of career.
After a few years in Qatar programming for the Doha Tribeca Film Festival and later in Singapore as a creative consultant on an eco-tourism project, Winnie ultimately decided to focus on writing. Her personal experience also led her to become an activist, focused on addressing the issue of sexual assault through the media, the arts, and academia.
She began writing her debut novel, Dark Chapter, while pursuing an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Inspired by her own assault, it explores a rape and its aftermath from the perspective of both victim and perpetrator. The novel went on to win The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2017 by a combination of public vote and judging panel. It was also nominated for the Edgar Award in the US for Best First Novel and shortlisted for The Author’s Club Best First Novel Award. In its unpublished form, it was runner-up for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2016 and the CWA Debut Dagger 2015. The book has been translated into ten languages.
Winnie is also Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Clear Lines Festival, the UK’s first-ever festival addressing sexual assault and consent through the arts and discussion. Her PhD research at the London School of Economics explores media engagement by rape survivors as a form of activism. Winnie maintains an ongoing engagement with the media on the issue of sexual assault. She has appeared in The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, The LA Review of Books, The Mail on Sunday, The Times, The Independent, The Irish Times, BBC World News, Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, Sky News, and BBC Woman’s Hour, among other media outlets. In 2018, Winnie was conferred an honorary doctorate of law from the National University of Ireland, in recognition of her writing and activism.
Aside from novels, Winnie also enjoys writing articles, essays, memoir, travel and nature writing, and the occasional play. She remains an ardent fan of cinema. She is based in London but somewhat addicted to travel.
Rating: 5/5
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