Don’t Call This Fiction : A true-crime, power-shift memoir

Don’t Call This Fiction is a story of courage. It’s a Girl v Goliath sex crime drama; a meditation on the choreography between fact and fiction in the stories we tell ourselves to survive; and an example of how to break free and thrive. It’s also an homage to the life-saving effect of kindness.

Cindy Etherton had to frame what her stepfather did to her as a child – a descent into darkness and deceit, which led to pregnancy at 14 years old – as being her fault, and did not understand it for what it truly was until she reached adulthood. She became successful professionally and built a good life, but then discovered that what she had always thought was true was not. When finally speaking out about this, she had to admit her complicity, naïve reasoning and, hardest of all, vulnerability.

The outcome of this was an agonising and high-stakes confrontation in a courtroom between families, storylines and loyalties – witness against witness, each revealing their true character, sometimes shockingly so. More discoveries followed the verdict, and only then could a dream be realised.

Cindy tells this deeply personal story because it may help others to navigate dangerous situations. Visiting the past revealed the many quirks, layers and qualities of the characters involved, but also allowed her to celebrate forces of fun and the tender impact of love.