Rift: A Memoir

by Cait West

260 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 17, 2026

About the author

Cait West is a writer and editor based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her work has been published in The Revealer, Religion Dispatches, Fourth Genre, and Hawai`i Pacific Review, among others. As an advocate and a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement, she serves on the editorial board for Tears of Eden, a nonprofit providing resources for survivors of spiritual abuse, and cohosts the podcast Survivors Discuss.

Reviews

[Becky Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rift is a manifesto for recovering “good girls” everywhere. Cait West vividly details her escape from the throes of the abusive Christian Patriarchy movement both physically and psychologically. Her poetic and metaphorical language (think the span of geological timescales and erupting volcanoes) combined with insightful personal reflection make this both a linguistically beautiful and emotionally powerful read.

I was deeply inspired by Cait’s reflections on her mental health, the impact of trauma, her reckoning with the harmful impacts of the patriarchy and colonialism, and her discussions on women’s reproductive rights.

Rift is a book that will send ripples out to women everywhere under the grip of patriarchy and encourage us to build a better world.

Thanks to Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, via NetGalley, for this ARC!

[Victoria Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I know this is awful to say, but when I go to read a memoir by a homeschooled fundie, I don't expect the writing to be spectacular. However Cait West is an amazing writer—very lyrical and poetic.

Her memories of her upbringing (or should we say, captivity?) were interesting and much easier to take than many of this ilk. Though she mentions their church says spanking is supposed to leave bruises and I'm sure her conservative, controlling father didn't spare the rod, she doesn't go into gory details about abuse (other than emotional) and it doesn't feel like you're reading abuse-porn.

Thanks to Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, via NetGalley, for the ARC!

[LibraryLaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-written memoir made me so sad. Definitely worth the read.

*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.