Review: Wiving by Caitlin Myer

Wiving

by Caitlin Myer

Publisher: Arcade

Pages: 264

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  At thirty-six years old, Caitlin Myer is ready to start a family with her husband. She has left behind the restrictive confines of her Mormon upbringing and early sexual trauma and believes she is now living her happily ever after . . . when her body betrays her. In a single week, she suffers the twin losses of a hysterectomy and the death of her mother, and she is jolted into a terrible awakening that forces her to reckon with her past—and future.

 
This is the story of one woman’s lifelong combat with a culture—her “escape” from religion at age twenty, only to find herself similarly entrapped in the gender conventions of the secular culture at large, conventions that teach girls and women to shape themselves to please men, to become good wives and mothers. The biblical characters Yael and Judith, wives who became assassins, become her totems as she evolves from wifely submission to warrior independence.

Kritters Thoughts:  When I am pitched a book whether it be non fiction or fiction and it has to do with the Mormon church, I don't tend to read much further as I have a fascination for knowing as much as I can about this faith, it stems from my days in college with a religious study major and an interest in all faiths.  

Caitlin Myer is a wife and she is ready to become a mom.  Becoming a mom won't be as easy as becoming a wife for Caitlin and with past trauma and current trauma, she tells her story of the past and the present.  

It is always hard to review a non fiction book as you can't discuss the character or the story with opinion as the author is telling the truth and in this case their own story.  In this case, I will talk about how the story was written.  There were times where I felt as though the author could have edited a few bits and pieces.  I know that she was using the many instances to prove a point and create the full picture of her story, but there were a few bits and pieces that I felt as though could have been excluded. 

I am glad that I had quite a bit of background knowledge of the faith and the community before reading this book.  It helped to know many of the other stories of people who have left the Mormon faith due to negative experiences in order to place this story within the "canon".  It helps to have many stories to create a full perspective of this faith and how some have had the worst of experiences.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 69 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Mindbuck Media Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.