It Happened Like This: My Testimony

A searing, inventive memoir that interrogates misogyny, heroism and women’s power in an often-unsafe world through the lens of Vicky’s Foster’s own traumatic background. How do you get close to people when the people close to you keep shattering your world? Vicky Foster thought she’d finally escaped violence when her abusive ex-partner was murdered. Vicky was 25. She tried to draw a line under the past and move on with her life. This meant overcoming PTSD, trusting people again, building her career and ultimately, learning to return to herself. But, 16 years later, the past came crashing down on her, when one of her ex-partner’s murderers hit the headlines. This time, as the 'hero' of the 2019 London Bridge terrorist attack. Lyrical and raw, It Happened Like This is a book about misogyny in all its forms, about heroism and villainy, about class and the climate of neglect created by austerity, but most importantly it’s a book about women and their power, explored through the prism of Vicky’s story.

About the Author :
Vicky Foster is an award-winning writer, performer and poet from Hull who has broadcast extensively across the BBC. She has published two collections of writing and is currently working on her first novel whilst studying for a PhD in English and Creative Writing. She won The Society of Authors’ Imison Award at the 2020 BBC Audio Drama Awards for her Radio 4 play Bathwater, and last year her Radio 4 documentary, Can I Talk About Heroes? was reviewed in the national media. She has written poetry for radio, podcast and TV, delivered writing projects and creative writing workshops for a wide range of organisations, and performed at festivals and events across the North. She is a writer-in-residence for First Story, working with schools to help young people write their own stories.

Review :
Vicky Foster’s It Happened Like This weaves together testimony, lyricism, media reports and letters into a raw, powerful narrative, told through the unique perspective of the author and her own traumatic experiences. The book explores violence, misogyny, love and loss in formally inventive ways and offers the reader a blistering perspective on what it means to be a woman today, as well as what it might mean to be a hero, villain, victim and survivor. This is a searing, moving book which will make you think twice about what you hear or see on the news A haunting and compelling re-writing of a story, placing emphasis on the power of carrying on and refusing to be silenced ... Should be required reading