Gisèle Pelicot's Memoir Reclaims Her Story After Years of Abuse

Gisèle Pelicot's Memoir Reclaims Her Story After Years of Abuse

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Pelicot Memoirs: "I Want to Say I'm Still Alive" - Gisèle Pelicot's Memoir Reclaims Her Story After Years of Abuse

Gisèle Pelicot has published her memoirs, Et la joie de vivre (And the Joy of Living), detailing years of abuse at the hands of her husband. The book, released on 17 February 2026, follows a harrowing trial in 2024 where 51 men—including her ex-partner—were convicted for their roles in her drugging, rape, and assault. Her story has now reached a global audience, with translations planned in 22 languages.

Pelicot endured years of violence, drugged and assaulted by her husband, who also offered her to strangers. The crimes came to light during a highly publicised 2024 trial, where she faced an 'army of defence attorneys' and had her credibility challenged. She insisted the proceedings be public, watching countless videos of the assaults to prepare herself for testimony.

After the trial, her husband received a life sentence, while all 51 men involved were found guilty. Yet the ordeal left her life in pieces. Her children packed up her home in Mazan, discarding or destroying most of her belongings. At one point, she found herself alone at Paris's Gare de Lyon, unsure why she was there, as her children returned to their own lives.

Her memoirs trace her journey from childhood to meeting her husband, through financial struggles and the slow unravelling of his crimes. Written with poetic grace, the book refuses to define her solely as a victim. She has even expressed plans to visit her ex-partner in prison—not for closure, but to demand answers and bid farewell on her own terms.

The publication of Et la joie de vivre marks another step in Pelicot's long path since the trial. Her husband never returned home after his crimes were exposed, leaving her to rebuild a life without him. The book now ensures her story reaches readers worldwide, translated into 22 languages, though her future beyond this remains her own.

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