ABOUT

This illustration was commissioned for (an ultimately unpublished) essay about the author's experience of childhood sexual abuse and trying as hard as she can to move on from it. In the essay she alluded often to guavas as both real objects in her childhood story, and also metaphors for her innocence lost too young at the hands of an adult neighbour who sexually abused her.

It was important to sensitively convey real scenes the author talked about from her childhood in the guava groves in India in which she was preyed upon- in a way that made the viewer feel with her fear and innocence. I used the fallen fruit and the looming silhouette of the man from her memory to get this feeling across.