Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth

What a heavy memoir! Heavy to read until the end, but also heavy to put down.
The whole book really stands out as a wake-up call to parents, daughters, and sons. It delivers Aurélie’s intention to raise awareness about severe emotional manipulation and abuse in relationships.
It reminds victims that bravery is needed in noticing the red flags and choosing a way out. It also speaks directly to parents, that children should never be raised in fears like fear of disappointing you, fear of making you explode, and fear of saying things you may not like. Children deserve to feel safe enough to speak without hesitation. In Aurélie’s case, she grew up surrounded by fear within her family dynamics, a fear that left her vulnerable to guilt-tripping, gaslighting, and abuse, while still making it painfully hard for her to walk away.

Let me tell you, my mind went blank as I read all the chapters showing Aurélie and Bobby together. All the violent scenes broke me to the bone. Yet, the way she eventually exited that torture felt like something I needed to understand. Therefore, I managed to finish the book.
But now that I finished reading, how come it’s still hard to write this review? I don’t say this is not a good book, ok? Not at all. But how could this book feel heavy for me to review as it was to read???

The thing that froze me then, and still freezes me today, is the cruelty. Never in my life had I heard such a cruel true story. Never had I witnessed manipulation on that scale. Never had I interacted with a victim of that kind of abuse. This book became my first real encounter, and I am still in shock.

This memoir features Aurélie’s true story of emotional manipulation, grooming, sexual assault, and psychological abuse that began when she was still in her mid-teens, as young as fifteen. While working on her acting career in Indonesia, she made what she believed was a simple choice, dating Bobby, a twenty-nine-year-old actor. to her 15-year-old eyes, he was funny, polite, loud, and charming. But that only mistake destroyed the hell out of her.

Before confessing to Aurélie, Bobby gave her happiness in the form of silly comments or jokes about the people on set. When coming over to her house, Bobby never showed up empty-handed. However, from Aurélie’s raw but detail storytelling, you’ll get to see how the psychological abuse began as soon as they started dating. I’ll spill some parts that hit me the hardest.

First comes first, Bobby turned a small thing into the biggest fight and blame. He’d complain because Aurelie fell asleep when he drove her and her family after her shoot.
“How would you sleep while I drove you and your family? You should’ve been massaging me, kissing me, thanking me, encouraging me. I’m tired too, but I still drove. And this is what I get?”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 25)

Then came the constant control. Bobby had her messaging all the time. Telling him where she was, who she was with, what she was doing. If she took too long, he accused her. If she replied quickly, he still found it wrong.
“There were times we fought just because I made a typo while saying I love you. It happened because I was always rushing, terrified that if I took too long, he would accuse me of cheating.”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 27)

Look at this. At some point, Aurélie herself began questioning what she was experiencing.
“Is this what Adult love is supposed to be? And if it is, why did it feel so wrong?”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 39)

I won’t describe what this Bobby person did after asking for her nude pictures. This quote from the book explains it better than my words ever could.
“Go to the authorities,” he said. “Tell them your parents are exploiting you.”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 46)

Also, don’t forget about the threats after threats. This time, it was what he said would be happenning if Aurélie had not signed the letter that Bobby brought, a letter that meant to fake their marriage in church.
“I would kill your parents, tie their heads to my car and drag them through the streets.”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 80)

Now, when she lived with Bobby after the fake marriage. Honestly, there’s a lot to quote and comment but I am not strong enough to revisit it all, so lemme just give y’all two pieces of spoilers. You guys have no idea how writing this has my tears welling up a whole lot.
“Honestly, what’s the difference between you and him?” I said. “Hitting, spitting, such a thin line, isn’t it? I’d rather be hit than spat on. Being spat on feels more humiliating.”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 152-153)
“Instead of walking away, he stepped on my face. His bare foot pressed against my cheek. Cold, damp, and dirty from the floor.”
Moeremans, Aurélie. Broken Strings: Fragments of a Stolen Youth. (p. 156)