Book excerpt: The book is a series of images, narratives, and reflections. Most of them are seen through the eyes of a solitary child gazing at and understanding life and men, by moving from a cocoon of comfort into the wider world of complex relationships. The book is partly autobiographical: the authors own experiences help her to view the world by understanding herself better. The last part is a set of beliefs on the inner self, on what makes life tick within her.