Tiger, Tiger

A devastating memoir of stolen childhood, Tiger, Tiger has sold in 19 countries and is poised to be an international sensation. One summer day, Margaux Fragoso swam up to Peter Curran at a public swimming pool and asked him to play. She was seven; he was fifty-one. When Curran invited her and her mom to see his house, the little girl found a child's dream world, full of odd pets and books and music and magical toys. Margaux's mother was devoted, but, beset by mental illness and frightened of her abusive husband, she was only too ready to take advantage of an escape for the daughter she felt incapable of taking care of on her own. Soon Margaux was spending all her time with Peter, and any suspected signs of child abuse were overlooked. In time, Peter insidiously took on the role of Margaux's playmate, father, lover and captor. Charming and repulsive, warm and violent, loving and manipulative, Peter burrowed into every aspect of Margaux's life and transformed her from a girl fizzing with imagination and affection into a deadened, young/old woman, suffering from serious post-traumatic stress and on the brink of suicide. But when she was twenty-two, it was Peter -- ill, and terrified at the thought of losing her -- who killed himself, at the age of sixty-six. With lyricism and mesmerizing clarity, Margaux Fragoso has unflinchingly explored the darkest episodes of her life, helping us see how pedophiles work hidden away in the open to steal childhood. In writing Tiger, Tiger, she has healed herself of a wound that was fourteen years in the making. This extraordinary memoir is an unprecedented glimpse into the heart and mind of a monster; but more than this, it illustrates the power of memory and truth-telling to heal, and hopefully provides help toward child abuse prevention.