Image from Roman Polanski’s Infamous Photo Shoot Fronts Rape Victim’s Memoir

Last year it was announced that Samantha Geimer, the young girl who was sexually assaulted by Oscar winning director Roman Polanski during a modelling shoot, was to document her story in a personal memoir.

Yesterday the cover to the book was released and it’s been received with a mixed reaction, being described as "disturbing" and "provocative".

Why?

The photograph on the cover of the book is a portrait of Geimer as a teenager but what’s particularly haunting about the image is that the director took it of her just a few weeks before he raped her during a modelling session with him.

She was just 13 years old.

Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski famed for his movies like The Pianist and Rosemary's Baby, left the US to avoid conviction for sexually abusing Geimer in 1977. The following year, Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, but fled the country before sentencing.

He now continues to live as a free man in France.

Geimer, now 50, filed a civil suit in 1988 against the director which resulted in Polanski agreeing to pay her $500,000 plus interest.

In announcing the book in 2012, Geimer said, "I am more than a 'Sex Victim Girl' [and] I offer my story now without rage, but with purpose - to share a tale that will reclaim my identity."

The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski will be released on September 17th.