Not long after the author's death (the journalist, Sue Lloyd-Roberts) in October 2015, I heard her daughter speaking about this book on Radio 4. The ideas behind the book, and its aim to report on the experiences of women worldwide, sounded compelling. However, I was apprehensive that reading the book would prove too disturbing. It is shocking, but also extraordinary, and I could not put it down.

Sue Lloyd-Roberts writes transparently, based on the interviews that she conducted. Each chapter begins …