AustLit

'I was a victim of child sexual abuse. It occurred more than forty years ago, when I was just thirteen years old. This is the story about what happened to me when I was a young teenager, how I coped with it, how I kept it to myself, how I eventually fought back and how - after decades of living with the impact of the abuse - I decided one day, four decades after the events, to finally seek justice. It's also about what happened next.

'This story has a happy ending.

'For forty years David Meagher harboured a secret. Then, in mid 2018, a text message from an old school friend forced him to confront his past and finally deal with it.

'Secrets and Lies is a story about child sexual abuse. The culture that enabled it. How the perpetrator groomed his victims. How it finally came to an end. And how four decades after the crimes were committed his victims embarked on a successful two-year journey to bring the offender to justice.

'David Meagher delivers an intimate account of the lasting impact of child sexual abuse on survivors. From growing up gay in a censorious and very Catholic suburban environment to struggles with mental health and substance use - Secrets and Lies tells the full account of child sexual abuse. Meagher's story, however, is ultimately one of hope and even a bit of humour. After all, it has a happy ending, or as near to one as is possible under the circumstances.' (Publication summary)