I have been putting off reading Women Talking by Miriam Teows since I read All My Puny Sorrows a few years ago and struggled to finish it. I have finally read it and boy, I was not prepared.
Women Talking has made me more angry than any book I can remember reading recently, especially the beginning. It is despairing to read about these women (and *children*) being treated so horribly. To even suggest that the women (and 3-year old child) are being raped by demons, not the men in the community, is enough to make me see red. To blame the women and their “impure thoughts” is so shameful that I struggle to move past it.
However, the point of the book is to feel this way and empathize with the women of the colony. In my opinion it hit the mark.
I have seen some reviews that seem to have one complaint in common: the narrator is a man. One review I read said “I assume it has something to do with the idea that men have a history of inserting themselves in women’s stories and struggles”. To be honest, I think that these reviews are missing the point. These women are not allowed to be educated, have no worldly knowledge, and are less important than men. They are treated more poorly than many of their farm animals. Yes, the male narrator adds in anecdotes that are not a part of the women’s discussion. To me, the stories that the narrator add in are a reminder that reminder that the women live in the same world that I do – but they’ve been isolated so completely that I don’t recognize their life.
He also represents a sort of hope for the women. One of the central discussions is how to protect their children – their daughters by moving them away from the rapists, and their sons by teaching them to be different from their fathers. The narrator, August, is proof that men are not inherently evil or violent and that it is possible for the women to create a new culture that is more welcoming towards them.
I’m really curious to hear other thoughts on the book.
by capital_sie