One day, Édouard Louis finds a photograph of his mother from twenty years ago: a happy young woman, full of hopes and dreams. But growing up, Édouard only knew his mother’s sadness – what happened in those years since the photo was taken? Then, at the age of forty-five, Édouard’s mother frees herself from this life of oppression, to start a new one in Paris.

A Woman’s Battles and Transformations reckons with the cruel systems that govern our lives – and with the possibility of escape. It is a tender portrait of a mother, and an honouring of her self-discovery as she chooses to live on her own terms.