In her poignant book Mama, Heidi Norte shares her experiences with parental alienation — a phenomenon that, alongside children, typically affects divorced fathers as its main victims.

 

When Heidi's marriage collapses after eleven years, her husband’s lawyers push for a "flash divorce," just before this type of fast-track divorce is officially abolished. By agreeing to it, Heidi unknowingly sidelines herself from the very first day after the separation. She is happy with the small house she manages to buy near her ex-husband and is confident she can maintain at least a pleasant co-parenting relationship for the sake of the children. She looks forward to this new phase in life, but her hopes are soon shattered.

The following years — up to the present day — become a living hell. Not only are her children estranged from her, but her family is also driven away by her ex-husband, who leaves no stone unturned in deepening the alienation.

 

A story of sorrow and loss, but also of resilience, and the courage to keep fighting for the truth — and for a mother’s love for her children.