Leila II: The Moods of the Sea
Heather Neff
Leila, the twelve-year-old daughter of illiterate parents, spent her childhood in a mud hut in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Given to three strangers in payment for her father’s gambling debts, she is forced to work in a brothel before being sold to a wealthy, prominent man.
Leila: the Weighted Silence of Memory recounts Leila’s years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of her captors. Close to death, her destiny alters after a chance encounter with two sisters who have dedicated their lives to saving women from lives of despair. After managing to escape, Leila seeks to rebuild her life with a family suffering from tragic losses of their own.
Leila II: The Moods of the Sea finds Leila three years later, still a fugitive from the people who held her captive. Though deeply haunted by her past and her fear of recapture, her hard work has brought some fortune to the family that shelters her. As they try to better their lives with a new business venture, Leila takes her first steps toward healing. Her world gains new meaning when she is drawn toward a powerful, unexpected love.
After a terrible coincidence delivers her again into the hands of her tormenters, Leila suffers a vicious assault that leaves her body broken. Now she must fight for herself, her future—and for everyone and everything she has come to care for.
A tale of human trafficking, Leila’s story illuminates the plight of more than twelve million victims held in modern-day slavery throughout the world.
Praise for Leila II: The Moods of the Sea
"Fantastic! Beautifully and emotionally written."
—E. Ruth jordan
All those I know were greatly moved by it."
—keturah
Contact Heather Neff at: hneff@emich.edu