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Wayfinding: A Memoir
Throughout her life, Renee Gilmore has been in love with the open road. Her passion for exploration has taken her across all seven continents, but the real journey has been much more personal. In Wayfinding, she confronts the impetus behind her wanderlust: a lifetime shaped by loss, betrayal, and sexual violence, beginning in childhood.
Told through a series of car trips and postcards from the road, this powerful memoir maps a route toward healing, acceptance, and hope, with stops at Waffle House and the Monaco Grand Prix along the way.
Narrated with unflinching honesty and flashes of humor, Wayfinding is the story of a fiercely resilient woman determined not only to survive but to completely remap a life of freedom, connection, and joy.
Told through a series of car trips and postcards from the road, this powerful memoir maps a route toward healing, acceptance, and hope, with stops at Waffle House and the Monaco Grand Prix along the way.
Narrated with unflinching honesty and flashes of humor, Wayfinding is the story of a fiercely resilient woman determined not only to survive but to completely remap a life of freedom, connection, and joy.
- GenresMemoir
348 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
3915 people want to read
About the author
Renee Gilmore
2 books15 followersRenee Gilmore is the author of Wayfinding: A Memoir (Trio House Press, 2025). She is a multi-genre writer, essayist, and poet. She writes about her experiences growing up in a family of car enthusiasts—mechanics, racers, and collectors—and navigating a family full of secrets. She fearlessly explores the illusion of happiness. Through her writing and lived experience, Renee proves that resilience can be practiced both by accident and by intention. Renee is a first-generation college graduate and holds degrees from the University of New Mexico and Hamline University. Her work has appeared in many literary journals, including The Louisville Review, Fatal Flaw, and Pink Panther Magazine, among others. She lives in suburban Minneapolis with her husband, Steven, and works in corporate learning and development.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 21, 2025
Book Review: Wayfinding: A Memoir by Renee Gilmore
Rating: 4.7/5
Initial Impressions
This memoir is a visceral blend of wanderlust and wound-tending, where the open road becomes both escape and salvation. Gilmore’s nonlinear narrative—structured around car trips and postcards—mirrors the erratic yet purposeful path of healing. Her prose oscillates between poetic reflection and stark confession, making Wayfinding feel like a shared journey rather than a solitary reckoning.
Emotional Resonance & Reactions
Reading Wayfinding was like riding shotgun through a storm and emerging into sunlight. Gilmore’s humor (e.g., Waffle House pit stops) disarms the darkness of her trauma, while her raw accounts of sexual violence and betrayal left me breathless. The juxtaposition of global adventures (Monaco Grand Prix) with intimate pain creates a powerful tension—one that underscores how physical movement can mask, then mend, emotional stasis. At times, the fragmented timeline tested my patience, but ultimately, it mirrored the disjointed nature of memory and recovery.
Strengths
-Unique Structure: The postcard/car trip framework innovatively mirrors the stop-start process of self-discovery.
-Resilience Without Redemption: Gilmore resists tidy closure, honoring the ongoing work of healing rather than performative triumph.
-Sensory Richness: Vivid descriptions of places anchor abstract emotions in tangible worlds.
Constructive Criticism
-Pacing: Some sections linger in metaphorical detours, diluting the emotional punch of key revelations.
-Peripheral Voices: While focused on Gilmore’s interiority, deeper exploration of relationships (e.g., fleeting travel companions) could add dimension.
-Cultural Context: A nod to how gender, privilege, or race intersect with her nomadic freedom would enrich the narrative’s universality.
Final Verdict
Wayfinding is a compass for anyone navigating their own emotional wilderness. Gilmore’s refusal to romanticize survival—while still celebrating small victories—makes this memoir a standout. Its greatest gift? Proof that sometimes, the road is the remedy.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
Rating: 4.7/5 (A luminous, imperfect odyssey that honors the messiness of healing.)
Rating: 4.7/5
Initial Impressions
This memoir is a visceral blend of wanderlust and wound-tending, where the open road becomes both escape and salvation. Gilmore’s nonlinear narrative—structured around car trips and postcards—mirrors the erratic yet purposeful path of healing. Her prose oscillates between poetic reflection and stark confession, making Wayfinding feel like a shared journey rather than a solitary reckoning.
Emotional Resonance & Reactions
Reading Wayfinding was like riding shotgun through a storm and emerging into sunlight. Gilmore’s humor (e.g., Waffle House pit stops) disarms the darkness of her trauma, while her raw accounts of sexual violence and betrayal left me breathless. The juxtaposition of global adventures (Monaco Grand Prix) with intimate pain creates a powerful tension—one that underscores how physical movement can mask, then mend, emotional stasis. At times, the fragmented timeline tested my patience, but ultimately, it mirrored the disjointed nature of memory and recovery.
Strengths
-Unique Structure: The postcard/car trip framework innovatively mirrors the stop-start process of self-discovery.
-Resilience Without Redemption: Gilmore resists tidy closure, honoring the ongoing work of healing rather than performative triumph.
-Sensory Richness: Vivid descriptions of places anchor abstract emotions in tangible worlds.
Constructive Criticism
-Pacing: Some sections linger in metaphorical detours, diluting the emotional punch of key revelations.
-Peripheral Voices: While focused on Gilmore’s interiority, deeper exploration of relationships (e.g., fleeting travel companions) could add dimension.
-Cultural Context: A nod to how gender, privilege, or race intersect with her nomadic freedom would enrich the narrative’s universality.
Final Verdict
Wayfinding is a compass for anyone navigating their own emotional wilderness. Gilmore’s refusal to romanticize survival—while still celebrating small victories—makes this memoir a standout. Its greatest gift? Proof that sometimes, the road is the remedy.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
Rating: 4.7/5 (A luminous, imperfect odyssey that honors the messiness of healing.)
July 27, 2025
Wayfinding is a metaphor for how we navigate our lives. The events and experiences that become our guiding stars, that become our bearing points, that knock us off course, or are the colorful sights we encounter on our journey. The metaphor is based on her family’s love of cars and roadtrips. They both connected and distanced her from her family, specifically her father and brother. Through the wayfinding metaphor the author explores how childhood sex abuse, college sexual assault, physically abusive early adult relationships, and alcoholic, emotionally unavailable parents shaped her sense of self and relationships. She also explored how she grew and healed. She shares what she loss and her grieving.
She is a great writer. The book was well written and an enjoyable read even though what she wrote about was heart breaking. I enjoyed the wayfinding metaphor as a way to understand how certain moments or experiences shape a person’s life. She did an excellent job establishing it and using it as the guiding theme of the book. And the cars - so many. You could see the families love of cars. And, I am glad she shared her healing and grieving with the reader. The book is a celebration of human resilience.
She is a great writer. The book was well written and an enjoyable read even though what she wrote about was heart breaking. I enjoyed the wayfinding metaphor as a way to understand how certain moments or experiences shape a person’s life. She did an excellent job establishing it and using it as the guiding theme of the book. And the cars - so many. You could see the families love of cars. And, I am glad she shared her healing and grieving with the reader. The book is a celebration of human resilience.
September 21, 2025
I love to read memoirs. They remind me of how we are all different and yet also the same. They also remind me that all of us have struggles and we should treat each other with patience, kindness, understanding, and acceptance. You truly never know what someone is going through or has gone through. Every experience from the day we are born shapes how we see the world and our opinions of it. Wayfinding broke my heart and inspired me. I have considered writing my own memoir but many of my experiences that shaped who I am are not my stories to tell. I felt a connection to this author in many ways, big and small. No matter your experiences in life, this book will open your eyes to parts of the world and personal hardships that we don't want to see, but need to see. This book also will take you on some fun trips down memory lane when times we different but so much fun! Thank you Renee Gilmore for sharing your story with us. Thank you Trio House Press and Goodreads for the ARC/giveaway.
October 2, 2025
This book made me feel so many different emotions that I wasn't expecting. I found myself tearing up at some of the stories, and rooting for the the author to overcome the adversity she faced in several situations. Other stories made me laugh. It just seemed like raw, honest writing. Hopefully cathartic for her. I really enjoyed it!
November 1, 2025
Renee Gilmore's memoir is a study in resiliency. This is a story of survival and a powerful map of her journey. Told with humor and sensitivity, this book invites you to travel with her as she grows. It was an enjoyable read that stayed with me after I finished.
January 16, 2026
‘Wayfinding’ is a beautiful exploration of self discovery, trauma, and personal growth. Gilmore’s writing is engaging and thought provoking. As she shares her story - which range from traumatic, to humorous, to triumphant - it prompts the reader to reflect on their own paths. Gilmore’s writing is articulate and accessible, and filled with vivid stories. I highly recommend ‘Wayfinding’ to any reader in search of a great memoir.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews