THE DISOWNED DAUGHTER

A Cypriot girl’s plight to marry
for love by breaking tradition

DORA DE LAAT

ABOUT THE BOOK

THE DISOWNED DAUGHTER

In contrast to her five older sisters, who all entered into arranged marriages to Greek or Cypriot men, Dora Loizou dreamt of falling in love and marrying the man of her dreams. She wanted the chance to choose her own future, but she was born and raised in a strict Cypriot household, where her lot in life was to marry a Greek man she didn’t know, settle down and have children.

What would happen if Dora fell in love with a non-Greek man and opted to marry outside her culture? The shock to her parents, the shame this would bring to their untainted family name. The constraints of her upbringing clashed with her newfound independence, igniting a struggle within her.

Dora’s journey was not without challenges, drama, and heartache, yet she blazed a trail for future generations within her family, proving that cultural traditions need not dictate one’s path to happiness and fulfilment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DORA DE LAAT

Dora De Laat was born in Adelaide, South Australia. Dora considers her family to be most important to her. Growing up as the youngest of six girls, Dora was the first in her family to go to university.  As a first-generation student, she forged a path into higher education paving the way for others in her family to follow.  Nonetheless, it was challenging to feel she belonged in a place that no-one else in her family had been.

This is Dora’s first book about her childhood, growing up in a strict Cypriot household and her journey of falling in love. It stands as a lasting legacy for her family. Dora lives in Brisbane with her husband of forty years, enjoys activities such as reading, writing, travelling the world and most of all cherishing precious moments with her three beautiful grandchildren and her family.