Wiving

The Most Anticipated Memoirs of 2020, She Reads • Bay Area Authors to Read This Summer, 7X7

"Starkly revealing . . . An absorbing, emotionally raw confessional memoir . . . Myer recounts in candid detail her process of self-discovery and eventual, hard-won empowerment."—Kirkus Reviews

"Haunting . . . disturbing . . . Myer writes beautifully and with a sense of humor, even about traumatizing events. . . . Be prepared to reflect on feminism, family, fertility, solitude, and mental health with this record of one woman's dramatic life."—Booklist

"Myer is not a shy writer; she covers religion, sexual abuse, suicide, reproduction, trauma, mental illness, divorce. . . . The narrative is fragmented, yet it holds together, and the writing is visceral, and unabashed. . . . Myer’s ability to embody her history infuses the text with an electric corporeality."—San Francisco Chronicle

“A beautiful, heartbreaking book grappling with what it means to live in a female body; what it takes to love and to wrench oneself out of the constraints of love and into a terrifying and dazzling freedom. A gem of a book that is more important now than ever.” —Nayomi Munaweera, award-winning author of Island of a Thousand Mirrors
 
“Wiving is a wonder, a hypnotic account of the dangers of desire—specifically female desire—when it dares to run counter to all the barriers that were created to keep such passions in their place. Myer’s self-examination and honesty go way past brave and into a dizzying kind of free-fall confession. When I finished this, I felt heart-broken to know what finally ‘shook her free.’ Highly recommended.”—Glen David Gold, author of Carter Beats the Devil and I Will Be Complete
 
“In Wiving, a memoir of her journey away from Mormonism, Caitlin Myer brings a compelling new voice: lyrical, heart-wrenching, and sexy. Myer’s identification with the Biblical figures Judith and Yael and her wild, unconventional choices kept me enthralled.” —Ayelet Waldman, bestselling author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits and Bad Mother 

"Beautifully written . . . Every word held my attention. . . . This book tackles a lot of bigger wide-world issues including the role of women in society and how to give your life a purpose but personalizes these issues in an intimate way. I felt so connected to the author/narrator as I read. This is a great book. I’m glad I had a chance to read it."—thebookloversboudoir

"Wiving, is a love letter to being alone as much as it is a memoir of escaping the constricting role of the Wife, in all her various forms—the Mormon homemaker, the eternally supportive girlfriend, the mother who gives up everything for her children. What does it mean for women to live in a world where they are expected to define themselves only relationally?"—sweetlit