Sarah Schumacher
I really don’t understand the hype around this book. It was… fine? I don’t want to diminish the pain of her story, but I wonder if it’s a hit the way popular books are with people who don’t normally read books at all.
I guess the shocking part is supposed to be that her husband up and left with no warning, but in the back of my mind maybe I don’t buy it. There must have been signs; just because she didn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t there. She’s shocked that he has zero interest in shared custody. Which would usually be shocking, except that she described his work schedule and his self-proclaimed refusal to do bath and bedtime when the kids were younger, so, yeah that seems pretty consistent actually. His pride around being a former bad boy and/or heart breaker (?). The fact that she hadn’t the slightest idea about finances, that her trust funded their houses, that he had requested changing the prenup to disadvantage her. His immediate refusal to let her go back to work, etc.
The more interesting part of this book was reading how rich people live. It’s wild. She tries to throw in a couple comments indicating she understands she has privilege but I can’t imagine a plane of existence anywhere near what she must view as normal. However, she seems to have the same lack of self-confidence I’ve read in other women’s memoirs, where they don’t push back on injustice or stick up for themselves. I guess misogyny is the great equalizer.
I wouldn’t recommend it, but I guess I wouldn’t not recommend it either. It’s interesting, and would likely make interesting book club material, but in terms of incredible memoirs that stay with you, this is not it. If you want one of those, read Zarna Garg’s This American Woman.
I really don’t understand the hype around this book. It was… fine? I don’t want to diminish the pain of her story, but I wonder if it’s a hit the way popular books are with people who don’t normally read books at all.
I guess the shocking part is supposed to be that her husband up and left with no warning, but in the back of my mind maybe I don’t buy it. There must have been signs; just because she didn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t there. She’s shocked that he has zero interest in shared custody. Which would usually be shocking, except that she described his work schedule and his self-proclaimed refusal to do bath and bedtime when the kids were younger, so, yeah that seems pretty consistent actually. His pride around being a former bad boy and/or heart breaker (?). The fact that she hadn’t the slightest idea about finances, that her trust funded their houses, that he had requested changing the prenup to disadvantage her. His immediate refusal to let her go back to work, etc.
The more interesting part of this book was reading how rich people live. It’s wild. She tries to throw in a couple comments indicating she understands she has privilege but I can’t imagine a plane of existence anywhere near what she must view as normal. However, she seems to have the same lack of self-confidence I’ve read in other women’s memoirs, where they don’t push back on injustice or stick up for themselves. I guess misogyny is the great equalizer.
I wouldn’t recommend it, but I guess I wouldn’t not recommend it either. It’s interesting, and would likely make interesting book club material, but in terms of incredible memoirs that stay with you, this is not it. If you want one of those, read Zarna Garg’s This American Woman.