ALMOST a decade ago a young plattelandse meisie named Anna crept into the hearts of readers across South Africa.
The story of how Anna had been abused by her stepfather, and how her mother had turned a blind eye, was documented in Dis Ek, Anna, later translated into It’s Me, Anna.
In her first English interview after dropping the pseudonym and coming out as the battered young girl, Anchien Troskie spoke to The Herald about life after the abuse.
Troskie, a mother of two who lives in Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape with her husband, launched her new book, The State Versus Anna Bruwer, last month.
The book, which is the sequel to It’s Me, Anna, looks at what life would have been like for Anna had she taken revenge on her stepfather and shot him in cold blood.
She has already sold more than 40000 copies.
Recalling the day she decided to pen her childhood story, Troskie said it started out as a form of therapy.
She never imagined her story would become such a sensation.
"Something happened that made me wonder why I couldn’t stand up for myself. Why I was unable to talk about what happened to me.
"Then I started writing. It was more a diary for myself than anything else. When I was finished I thought I may just as well send it to a publisher. As for the timing I can only say that God works in mysterious ways.”
It’s Me, Anna dredged up the painful memories of her father’s suicide and how she had nowhere to turn when her mother’s new husband robbed her of her innocence.
When she eventually confided in her mother about what her stepdad was doing to her and her little sister, her mother kicked her out of the house.
Her mother died before she had the chance to forgive her.
"What’s done is done. I am proud of where I am today. It has been a long journey but today I am happy. I have everything I always dreamt about; a loving husband, two beautiful children and a normal, happy, fulfilling life,” Troskie said.
