The Gap

About this book

This is the book that started the series. Twelve women, twelve countries, twelve gaps. Each story is short, plain, and true to the woman who told it. No pity. No drama. Just the truth about what it looks like when the welfare system says no and the month is not over yet.

What is inside

• Astrid — The pensioner and the dentist (Sweden)
• Olena — The widow and the winter (Ukraine)
• Marta — Cancer and the paperwork (Poland)
• Sarah — The working poor (UK)
• Ingrid — Not actively looking (Sweden)
• Beata — Borrowing to eat (Poland)
• Nadia — The bus fare to treatment (Ukraine)
• Ruth — The carer (UK)
• Anna — 217 jobs (Sweden)
• Eva — The roof she fixed herself (Ukraine)
• Patrycja — The teacher who paid for chalk (Poland)
• Louise — The woman who almost did not apply (UK)

A short excerpt

Astrid is 71. She lives in Sweden. She is a widow. Her pension covers rent and food. Barely. She has about 400 kronor left at the end of the month. Not enough to save. Enough to survive. Then the dentist said 8,000 kronor, and everything changed.

Why we publish creative works

Every book we publish exists for one reason: to raise money for women in Europe who fall between the cracks. No publishing house middlemen. No agents. Just readers, writers, and women receiving emergency support.

When you purchase or reserve a book, you are doing two things: gaining heartfelt, honest stories and closing a financial gap for a woman who needs it right now.

Ethics and privacy

We never use a woman's real name, photo, or identifying details without her written permission. Every story in our books is shared with permission, fully anonymized, and reviewed by the woman it represents whenever possible.