Episode 11: Cult

A real-life Handmaid's Tale

 When Lilia Tarawa fled from the religious cult of Gloriavale, she turned her back on the only life she’d ever known. The deeply moving story of a girl who grew up in an isolated community where women exist to serve the men, give birth and perform domestic chores… and what happened when her thirst for truth and knowledge became too great to ignore.

“Mum freaks out, like, ‘God has cursed us’. Dad’s like, ‘Don’t be silly, woman!’ and I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Are there people from Gloriavale coming to get us? Will they come and force us to go back? And I’m scared out of my wits.”

Lilia’s memoir, Daughter of Gloriavale is published by Allen & Unwin New Zealand.  It is available in selected book stores ($NZ36.99) and also on ebook: Daughter of Gloriavale .  

You can find The Lip on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-lip-podcast/id1193840439?mt=2&i=1000385412139

Music credits for this episode are: Bury a Mountain by Michael Howard; The Girl from the Dogwood Forest by Michael Howard; Cold Weather by Alialujah Choir; A Soft Place to Land by Annalisa Tornfelt; No Need to Know by Alialujah Choir; You Got Served by Novi Split