As featured in The Irish News, Local Women Magazine, Armagh I, Books Ireland, Women Writers, Women’s Books, Writing.ie, and The Belfast Telegraph.

Not the Perfect Victim


A Memoir of Surviving Sexual Violence, a Late Autism Diagnosis, and the Fight for Justice

“I didn’t know the moment my voice was stolen.
But I remember the first time I tried to scream
and nothing came out.”

Available to order in all bookstores

If your local bookshop doesn’t currently have Not the Perfect Victim in stock, they can order it in for you —
just give them this ISBN: 9781068290312

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“A beautifully written account of survival and justice — powerful, brave, and impossible to forget.”
— Louise
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“Unflinchingly honest and essential; a testament to the courage of survivors silenced by a failing system.”
— Natasha
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“A raw and compassionate memoir showing how trauma’s aftermath shapes every part of life — and how healing begins.”
— Lupita
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“Absolutely awestruck by Anna’s honesty and strength. A must-read for trauma survivors and allies alike.”
— Lisa
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“Harrowing yet empowering — a real, trauma-informed story of a survivor reclaiming her voice.”
— Paula
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“A gripping, heartfelt memoir that blends pain, wit, and resilience — once you start, you can’t put it down.”
— Strahan
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“Raw, tough, and deeply human. You feel Anna’s loss and her strength in every line.”
— Donna
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“Every survivor or ally should read this — a true, compassionate portrayal of the slow, possible path to healing.”
— Helen
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“Utterly compelling from start to finish. Should be required reading for survivors, therapists, and lawmakers.”
— Shannon

Above reviews come from goodreads

He stole my voice. This is what it took to get it back.
A fierce, honest memoir of trauma, autism, and finding the strength to speak.At nineteen, one night changed everything for Anna Kahill. A violent trauma shattered her sense of safety and left her carrying the truth alone for more than a decade. Grief, motherhood, and a late diagnosis of autism and PTSD finally forced the memories she had buried to the surface.Not the Perfect Victim is Anna’s unflinching account of survival and the fight for justice inside a system that legal professionals, advocacy groups, and survivors often describe as notoriously difficult to navigate in sexual violence cases. With clarity and courage, she exposes the impossible expectations placed on traumatised and neurodivergent women — and the silence demanded of anyone who doesn’t fit the “perfect victim” mould.Raw, compassionate, and deeply human, this memoir speaks to anyone who has questioned their memory, their worth, or their right to be heard.For readers of:
Know My Name — Chanel Miller
What My Bones Know — Stephanie Foo
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der KolkA memoir that refuses silence and shows what it really takes to reclaim your life.

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK
Not The Perfect Victim is a raw, poetic, and unflinching memoir about surviving sexual violence, navigating a late autism diagnosis, and seeking justice in a system designed to fail victims.Through fragments of memory, therapeutic insight, and powerful storytelling, Anna Kahill exposes the emotional, legal, and societal cost of surviving — while challenging the myth of the “perfect victim.”

This is not just a memoir.
It is a reclamation — and a confrontation with silence, shame, and the systems that uphold them.

If you want to help change the conversation or include Not the Perfect Victim in your book club, Anna is open to media requests, interviews and providing a readers guide.
[email protected]NoticeDeep trauma requires intensive healing, and I’ve needed to take time off my occupation to focus on recovery.
Speaking out has been an important part of that process — but sharing my story can also take its toll if not handled carefully.For this reason, I’m currently limiting interviews and public appearances, and I approach each request with care and intention.Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

PRAISE & MEDIA COVERAGE

Anna Kahill’s story has been featured across The Belfast Telegraph, Local Women Magazine, The Newry Democrat, Armagh I, and Writing.ie.Together these pieces trace her journey from survivor to author and advocate, exploring trauma, neurodiversity, and justice reform.Through her memoir Not the Perfect Victim, she continues to challenge silence and reshape how society understands survivors.

Readers around the world have shared their reflections on Not the Perfect Victim across Goodreads and Amazon, praising its honesty, emotional depth, and courage.Read Goodreads reviews →
Read Amazon reviews →

Published Features
Armagh I – Interview feature, July 2025
Women Writers, Women’s Books – Book extract, Aug 2025 Writing.ie – Author essay, Sept 2025
Belfast Telegraph – Contributed essay, Sept 2025
Geraldine Walsh – Publishing Not the Perfect Victim, Sept 2025
Books Ireland – Book Extract, Nov 2025
Local Women Magazine – Interview feature, Nov 2025
Newry Democrat – Interview feature, Nov 2025
The Irish News - Interview feature, Jan 2026

In September 2025, Anna Kahill was invited as a VIP delegate and attended the Action Trauma Conference on Neurodiversity in Belfast, where her writings and experience in neurodivergence and criminal justice system drew interest from professionals across fields.

If you want to help change the conversation, Anna is open to media requests and interviews.
[email protected]NoticeIntensive trauma requires intensive healing, and I’ve needed to take time off work to focus on recovery.
Speaking out has been an important part of that process — but sharing my story can also take its toll if not handled carefully.For this reason, I’m currently limiting interviews and public appearances, and I approach each request with care and intention.Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

WHO THIS STORY SPEAKS TO - AND WHAT IT CONFRONTS

🎯 WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
- Survivors of sexual violence
- Late-diagnosed autistic & neurodivergent adults
- Therapists, social workers & trauma-informed professionals
- Psychologists, social & political scientists
- Journalists, lawyers, justice reform advocates & politicians
- Anyone questioning their own unprocessed trauma
- Readers who never saw their story represented — until now💬 KEY THEMES
- Surviving and living with complex PTSD
- Intersection between trauma, neurodivergence and justice
- Critique of the criminal justice system
- The invisibility of autistic women in trauma narratives
- How the legal system fails neurodivergent survivors
- Motherhood, grief, recovery, and radical honesty
- Reclaiming the narrative from shame and silence
- Mental and Physical health
- Impact of traumatic events
- Intergenerational trauma
- Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 80s & 90s
- Social, Political & religious divides

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna Kahill is the author of Not the Perfect Victim: A Memoir of Surviving Sexual Violence, a Late Autism Diagnosis, and the Fight for Justice.

Her debut memoir traces her journey through Northern Ireland’s justice system, to the later discovery of being autistic and living with complex PTSD. It explores the intersections of trauma, neurodivergence, and justice, offering a deeply human account that challenges the cultural myth of the “perfect victim.”Anna lives in Northern Ireland with her family. A trained pharmacist with a deep interest in psychology, she advocates for greater visibility of neurodivergent voices while continuing to challenge cultural myths about trauma and survival.

Not the Perfect Victim has already received strong early praise from readers on Goodreads, where it has been described as both unflinching and deeply humane.
You can find Anna on Instagram @nottheperfectvictim.

Author Profiles

Contact Anna
[email protected]

🌍 AVAILABILITY

Not the Perfect Victim is travelling far and wide — a story crossing borders just as its themes do.

Registered with IngramSpark, it’s available to order in-store at most major book retailers worldwide.
You can find it online through Amazon (paperback and eBook editions available worldwide — including UK, USA, Canada and Australia), as well as through Waterstones, Alan Hanna’s Bookshop, and other major retailers.
Closer to the author's home, it’s proudly stocked by Elk Books in Warrenpoint and The Bookshelf in Newry, Northern Ireland.
If your local bookshop doesn’t currently have Not the Perfect Victim in stock, they can order it in for you —
just give them this ISBN: 9781068290312Wherever you are, this story can find its way to you.