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Persephone's Children: A Life in Fragments
After years of secrecy and silence, Rowan McCandless leaves an abusive relationship to rediscover her voice and identity through writing.
She was never to lie to him. She was never to leave him; and she was never supposed to tell.
Persephone’s Children chronicles Rowan McCandless’s odyssey as a Black, biracial woman escaping the stranglehold of a long-term abusive relationship. Through a series of thematically linked and structurally inventive essays, McCandless explores the fraught and fragmented relationship between memory and trauma. Multiple mythologies emerge to bind legacy and loss, motherhood and daughterhood, racism and intergenerational trauma, mental illness and resiliency.
It is only in the aftermath that she can begin to see the patterns in her history, hear the echoes of oppression passed down from unknown, unnamed ancestors, and discover her worth and right to exist in the world.
She was never to lie to him. She was never to leave him; and she was never supposed to tell.
Persephone’s Children chronicles Rowan McCandless’s odyssey as a Black, biracial woman escaping the stranglehold of a long-term abusive relationship. Through a series of thematically linked and structurally inventive essays, McCandless explores the fraught and fragmented relationship between memory and trauma. Multiple mythologies emerge to bind legacy and loss, motherhood and daughterhood, racism and intergenerational trauma, mental illness and resiliency.
It is only in the aftermath that she can begin to see the patterns in her history, hear the echoes of oppression passed down from unknown, unnamed ancestors, and discover her worth and right to exist in the world.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2021
20 people are currently reading
1524 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 4, 2024
Rowan McCandless created a unique memoir by a series of inventive essays, some of those resembling dictionary or encyclopedia entries, others looking like crosswords and puzzles, while another looked like daily journal entries with prompts and one was written like a play. In this unorthodox but creative way, McCandless discusses all the hardships that she went through in her life including abuse, trauma, and loss.
Persephone's Children is the proof that there is no limit in the ways we can tell our stories and that through skillful techniques more and more groundbreaking stories come to light every day.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Persephone's Children is the proof that there is no limit in the ways we can tell our stories and that through skillful techniques more and more groundbreaking stories come to light every day.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 29, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Through Persephone’s Children, Rowan McCandless has created a unique and beautifully crafted memoir that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. McCandless employs a variety of techniques throughout her essays to navigate through her experiences and articulate her journey through heartbreak, abuse, oppression, and trauma. We are introduced to McCandless’ world in her first essay, an alphabetic acrostic. She goes on to use the format of a contract to indicate how her husband controlled her, the rules that he imposed on her, and the abuse that she suffered. Other literary devices include crossword clues, writing prompts to explore varying aspects of her life, construction reports, and an inventory. My personal favourites were a quiz entitled “Hunger Games”, which allowed her to describe her struggle with an eating disorder and how the ways in which her family’s shaping of her identity contributed to this, and a short involving interactions with a director and scriptwriter as she and her husband took their respective parts in the script written for them to relay their relationship. Noteworthy in the latter is the blame placed on McCandless for the failings of the relationship, indicating her thoughts and feelings about her role as a victim of abuse. I also thought it was interesting how she identified with Persephone, a mythological character who has “a dual identity as queen of the underworld and as Kore the maiden and goddess of fertility. [McCandless] wondered how Persephone felt having to perpetually straddle two worlds through no fault of her own”. Born to a white mother and Black father, McCandless’ biracial roots and dual identity are woven through her essays.
Ultimately, McCandless uses these methods of storytelling to enable herself to work through the trials of her journey to this point, but it makes for incredibly remarkable reading and a unique insight into the mind of a woman that has suffered from abuse, burden, loss, and a search for identity for a large part of her life. What never fails to come through this all is the love she has for her daughters, which is testament to the strength and resilience of her character.
(4.5)
Through Persephone’s Children, Rowan McCandless has created a unique and beautifully crafted memoir that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. McCandless employs a variety of techniques throughout her essays to navigate through her experiences and articulate her journey through heartbreak, abuse, oppression, and trauma. We are introduced to McCandless’ world in her first essay, an alphabetic acrostic. She goes on to use the format of a contract to indicate how her husband controlled her, the rules that he imposed on her, and the abuse that she suffered. Other literary devices include crossword clues, writing prompts to explore varying aspects of her life, construction reports, and an inventory. My personal favourites were a quiz entitled “Hunger Games”, which allowed her to describe her struggle with an eating disorder and how the ways in which her family’s shaping of her identity contributed to this, and a short involving interactions with a director and scriptwriter as she and her husband took their respective parts in the script written for them to relay their relationship. Noteworthy in the latter is the blame placed on McCandless for the failings of the relationship, indicating her thoughts and feelings about her role as a victim of abuse. I also thought it was interesting how she identified with Persephone, a mythological character who has “a dual identity as queen of the underworld and as Kore the maiden and goddess of fertility. [McCandless] wondered how Persephone felt having to perpetually straddle two worlds through no fault of her own”. Born to a white mother and Black father, McCandless’ biracial roots and dual identity are woven through her essays.
Ultimately, McCandless uses these methods of storytelling to enable herself to work through the trials of her journey to this point, but it makes for incredibly remarkable reading and a unique insight into the mind of a woman that has suffered from abuse, burden, loss, and a search for identity for a large part of her life. What never fails to come through this all is the love she has for her daughters, which is testament to the strength and resilience of her character.
(4.5)
November 22, 2021
All right, this book is excellent. Which is remarkable because a collection of "fragments," you'd think, would be inherently raw and unpolished. Especially when the fragments themselves are so curious in form: the essay as crossword puzzle, as drama script, as quiz, as diagnosis.
Pretty cool, right? A fun gimmick.
But challenging to execute...
In her debut collection, however, @rowanmccandlesswrites gets it right, each of these pieces so meticulously crafted to tell a story of a difficult childhood, of growing up Black and biracial, of surviving and escaping an abusive marriage. She writes about motherhood, mental health, and living with trauma.
And this is a book that's going to surprise and delight you.
What a triumph!
Pretty cool, right? A fun gimmick.
But challenging to execute...
In her debut collection, however, @rowanmccandlesswrites gets it right, each of these pieces so meticulously crafted to tell a story of a difficult childhood, of growing up Black and biracial, of surviving and escaping an abusive marriage. She writes about motherhood, mental health, and living with trauma.
And this is a book that's going to surprise and delight you.
What a triumph!
August 15, 2023
This is a unique memoir that creatively details Rowan’s life before, during, and after she escapes her soul crushing domestic abuse situation. Her journey is not easy, and there were many factors of a failed system that ultimately lead her to her relationships. But her healing journey is remarkable, and I won’t ever forget this memoir.
August 1, 2021
Rowan McCandless uses a lovely, unique manner to create her memoir; she uses scaffolding of various types, including the alphabet that begins the book (A is for…), followed by a screenplay, poems, and crossword puzzles, along with essays. In this creative yet unorthodox manner, Ms. McCandless lays out all the hardships she endures in her lifetime, ranging from poverty, childhood and domestic abuse, an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, and institutional racism.
After eating three pomegranate seeds in the Underworld, Persephone must spend part of her year there and part on the surface of the earth, thus effectively straddling two worlds. Ms. McCandless, a biracial woman, must do the same, existing between her white and her black families. The alphabet that begins this work gives a baseline from which she and her readers explore her life. Though the timeframe isn’t chronological, the bouncing around gives some sense of how memories are explored and reframed over time. Overall, a powerful, moving book.
After eating three pomegranate seeds in the Underworld, Persephone must spend part of her year there and part on the surface of the earth, thus effectively straddling two worlds. Ms. McCandless, a biracial woman, must do the same, existing between her white and her black families. The alphabet that begins this work gives a baseline from which she and her readers explore her life. Though the timeframe isn’t chronological, the bouncing around gives some sense of how memories are explored and reframed over time. Overall, a powerful, moving book.
March 18, 2023
I loved Rowan’s experimental and creative use of form as well as her bravery in rediscovering her voice and sharing her story.
June 14, 2021
Persephone's Children was provided for free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read this on my kindle. 5/5 ⭐
The goddess Persephone has to straddle two worlds. As a mixed race woman, Rowan McCandless relates. In a collection of essays, Rowan shares with us her life. She shares her trauma, her recovery, and her resilience.
This book was powerful. Rowan was sexually assaulted at a young age, belittled and abused by her parents, abused by several husband's, and struggled with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and a restrictive eating disorder, all while facing the challenge of racism.
The essay in this book are brilliantly written. Some examples are; Rowan writes out the alphabet, introducing us to her complex family and giving a baseline of her life experiences. She writes a play, to showcase how difficult it was to work with her abusive husband, M. Rowan writes a full psychological evaluation, detailing how and why her voice isn't always around. Rowan detailed her stays in a crisis stabilization unit by identifying writing prompts.
The content of the essays isn't always in a linear time scale, focusing on several different time periods of Rowan's life simultaneously. I found it was appropriate, because when recalling trauma, memories arnt stirred up in a linear fashion.
Overall, This essay collection was powerful, captivating, and moving.
I highly recommend!
A note: I had difficulty with the formating of this book. Often pictures would appear halfway through sentences, and new essays would start on the same page as old ones. Pictures wouldn't load on many pages either. Sometimes new paragraphs would start within the previous paragraph. I'm not sure if this is intentional, or if when the PDF was loaded onto my Kindle it formated weird.
The goddess Persephone has to straddle two worlds. As a mixed race woman, Rowan McCandless relates. In a collection of essays, Rowan shares with us her life. She shares her trauma, her recovery, and her resilience.
This book was powerful. Rowan was sexually assaulted at a young age, belittled and abused by her parents, abused by several husband's, and struggled with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and a restrictive eating disorder, all while facing the challenge of racism.
The essay in this book are brilliantly written. Some examples are; Rowan writes out the alphabet, introducing us to her complex family and giving a baseline of her life experiences. She writes a play, to showcase how difficult it was to work with her abusive husband, M. Rowan writes a full psychological evaluation, detailing how and why her voice isn't always around. Rowan detailed her stays in a crisis stabilization unit by identifying writing prompts.
The content of the essays isn't always in a linear time scale, focusing on several different time periods of Rowan's life simultaneously. I found it was appropriate, because when recalling trauma, memories arnt stirred up in a linear fashion.
Overall, This essay collection was powerful, captivating, and moving.
I highly recommend!
A note: I had difficulty with the formating of this book. Often pictures would appear halfway through sentences, and new essays would start on the same page as old ones. Pictures wouldn't load on many pages either. Sometimes new paragraphs would start within the previous paragraph. I'm not sure if this is intentional, or if when the PDF was loaded onto my Kindle it formated weird.
February 11, 2022
This is an incredible book. It's a memoir in a series of essays, and the essays are in all different forms. Some of them are lists, and some are essays in a style that is called "hermit crab" etc. The author writes very honestly about her life experiences as a Black/biracial woman. She's also the survivor of domestic abuse. The technical ability of the writer definitely shows through in this collection, and it's an intimate, moving book.
January 21, 2022
ARC from NetGalley / Dundurn Press / Rare Machines
This memoir is best described as ‘creative non-fiction’. Yes, Rowan McCandless tells us about her life: growing up in Canada with a white mother and a black father, racist bullying at school, sexual assault, abusive relationships, eating disorders, motherhood, her daughter nearly dying in childbirth… and more. However, the telling is by no means straightforward.
Described as ‘essays’, the different sections vary wildly in style and the subtitle ‘A Life in Fragments’ is accurate. These essays take the form of an A to Z of vocabulary, a contract, crossword clues, a wordsearch, a screenplay, poetry, extracts from a notebook and writing prompts, a glossary of cartography terms, botanical encyclopaedia entries, an inventory of homes, a scientific field report, notes on the colour orange, a quiz, a book of magic, a psychiatric report, an inventory of wants and needs… Along with other miscellanea.
It’s certainly unique, but I found some sections more interesting than others. Some parts are harder to follow and there is a bit of repetition as it’s technically a book of essays and not a straight memoir. The different styles made more of an impression than the actual story – some of the creativity seemed to overpower what the author wanted to say.
Three stars feels a little generous, but there were parts when I was very invested. I wouldn’t readily recommend this book, but if you like experimental literature and you want to read a memoir unlike no other – give this a go!
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this ARC.
This memoir is best described as ‘creative non-fiction’. Yes, Rowan McCandless tells us about her life: growing up in Canada with a white mother and a black father, racist bullying at school, sexual assault, abusive relationships, eating disorders, motherhood, her daughter nearly dying in childbirth… and more. However, the telling is by no means straightforward.
Described as ‘essays’, the different sections vary wildly in style and the subtitle ‘A Life in Fragments’ is accurate. These essays take the form of an A to Z of vocabulary, a contract, crossword clues, a wordsearch, a screenplay, poetry, extracts from a notebook and writing prompts, a glossary of cartography terms, botanical encyclopaedia entries, an inventory of homes, a scientific field report, notes on the colour orange, a quiz, a book of magic, a psychiatric report, an inventory of wants and needs… Along with other miscellanea.
It’s certainly unique, but I found some sections more interesting than others. Some parts are harder to follow and there is a bit of repetition as it’s technically a book of essays and not a straight memoir. The different styles made more of an impression than the actual story – some of the creativity seemed to overpower what the author wanted to say.
Three stars feels a little generous, but there were parts when I was very invested. I wouldn’t readily recommend this book, but if you like experimental literature and you want to read a memoir unlike no other – give this a go!
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this ARC.
August 2, 2021
Persephone’s Children floored me. It is so unique yet stunningly written and really gives a different perspective into how a brain processes trauma. How our minds jump to different memories via connections, how different experiences trigger us.
I also appreciated the history sprinkled throughout the book, and Grandma Daisy’s story made me ache as an Atlantic Canadian. I was so ignorant of the history of the KKK throughout Canada, and the Maritimes and I cannot imagine the trauma.
The book explores domestic abuse and generational trauma very well and I felt privileged to have read this book.
I also appreciated the history sprinkled throughout the book, and Grandma Daisy’s story made me ache as an Atlantic Canadian. I was so ignorant of the history of the KKK throughout Canada, and the Maritimes and I cannot imagine the trauma.
The book explores domestic abuse and generational trauma very well and I felt privileged to have read this book.
September 16, 2021
It was an interesting read. I just kept getting lost. The arrangement was choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to follow at times. I liked reading about the author’s family history and also all the pictures that were included. Thanks to the publisher, Edelweiss, and NetGalley for the early read.
April 21, 2022
A crossword puzzle, a packing list, a script for a play, a journal of writing prompts, real estate listings, a dictionary, a legal contract, a grimoire, and a tree atlas – all of these writing forms and more are included in the book Persephone’s Children, a Life in Fragments by Rowan McCandless. The best way to describe this book would be creative non-fiction, but in the simplest sense, it’s the story of her life, more specifically, the more difficult parts of it. While reading I approached each section as it’s own work, sort of like a collection of short stories, which is the recommended style of reading – to each their own.
Book Summary
Rowan is a Black biracial woman living in Manitoba, Canada, in the midst of healing herself after escaping an abusive relationship. Through these different pieces and formats, she works through the trauma of her childhood, her failed marriages, and the depression that has taken hold of her since leaving her last relationship. Each section offers a different lens in which to view this last toxic relationship and her efforts to separate herself physically, emotionally, and mentally from this man, a therapist she calls “M” who gaslights her on a regular basis, leaving her a shell of her former self. There are a few pivotal situations she revisits throughout the book; her drive from Winnipeg to Calgary to see her daughter after her difficult labour where she almost dies, the day she secretly moves out of her shared house with M and into a rental; the cruel words her father says to her when she tells him about her unplanned pregnancy as a young woman, and her Sunday routines as a child which involved going for a long drive with family than visiting grandparents. What connects these occurrences are the imprints they leave on her psyche, molding a woman that struggles with an eating disorder, loves her three daughters fiercely, and eventually finds writing as a radical act of freedom.
My Thoughts
Like I mentioned above, it’s important you begin reading this book with the expectations that there are multiples access points into one situation. A certain comfort level with experimental writing would also help, and I think poetry lovers in particular would also love this one. There is no linear narrative to follow, we jump back and forth through time with Rowan, but this does not detract from the impact of her words – instead it forces us to slow down and really examine the patterns and links she is making, even when it may not make immediate sense.
There are multiple layers of trauma that are unpacked in this book, all starting with the intergenerational trauma of slavery that as a Black woman, destabilizes her life before it’s really ever begun, having been born to both a black and white parent. From there, she explores the challenges of being a black woman with an eating disorder. One white woman in a support group complains:
“Women of colour have it so much easier. They’re ok with their bodies – having bigger bodies. They don’t have the same pressure to look a certain way, to be thin. It’s harder for white women, all this pressure to be thin.”
-p. 200 of Persephone’s Children by Rowan McCandless
Ignoring the terrible selfishness that would prompt a white woman to complain about how much easier black women have it (read the room!), I have no doubt this stereotype does exist. And of course it’s not true, in fact a book I read recently is all about a black woman’s struggle with an eating disorder, but I digress.
In addition to the challenges she faces as an adult, there is reference to a sexual assault occurring in her childhood, as well as her abusive relationships in adulthood. Many of these memories linger and haunt her, overwhelming her into depression, but joining some community writing groups and classes seems to be the antidote to much of her pain. Interestingly, her newfound safety in writing does not take up as much space in these pieces as her pain does – yet she does not come across as a weak person. This isn’t supposed to be a memoir of resilience, or the antidote to depression; it’s a meditation on the difficult stuff, and the art forms that allow us to view these hardships in different ways. She doesn’t have the answers and she’s not meant to, which is what makes this thoughtful book so powerful.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
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Book Summary
Rowan is a Black biracial woman living in Manitoba, Canada, in the midst of healing herself after escaping an abusive relationship. Through these different pieces and formats, she works through the trauma of her childhood, her failed marriages, and the depression that has taken hold of her since leaving her last relationship. Each section offers a different lens in which to view this last toxic relationship and her efforts to separate herself physically, emotionally, and mentally from this man, a therapist she calls “M” who gaslights her on a regular basis, leaving her a shell of her former self. There are a few pivotal situations she revisits throughout the book; her drive from Winnipeg to Calgary to see her daughter after her difficult labour where she almost dies, the day she secretly moves out of her shared house with M and into a rental; the cruel words her father says to her when she tells him about her unplanned pregnancy as a young woman, and her Sunday routines as a child which involved going for a long drive with family than visiting grandparents. What connects these occurrences are the imprints they leave on her psyche, molding a woman that struggles with an eating disorder, loves her three daughters fiercely, and eventually finds writing as a radical act of freedom.
My Thoughts
Like I mentioned above, it’s important you begin reading this book with the expectations that there are multiples access points into one situation. A certain comfort level with experimental writing would also help, and I think poetry lovers in particular would also love this one. There is no linear narrative to follow, we jump back and forth through time with Rowan, but this does not detract from the impact of her words – instead it forces us to slow down and really examine the patterns and links she is making, even when it may not make immediate sense.
There are multiple layers of trauma that are unpacked in this book, all starting with the intergenerational trauma of slavery that as a Black woman, destabilizes her life before it’s really ever begun, having been born to both a black and white parent. From there, she explores the challenges of being a black woman with an eating disorder. One white woman in a support group complains:
“Women of colour have it so much easier. They’re ok with their bodies – having bigger bodies. They don’t have the same pressure to look a certain way, to be thin. It’s harder for white women, all this pressure to be thin.”
-p. 200 of Persephone’s Children by Rowan McCandless
Ignoring the terrible selfishness that would prompt a white woman to complain about how much easier black women have it (read the room!), I have no doubt this stereotype does exist. And of course it’s not true, in fact a book I read recently is all about a black woman’s struggle with an eating disorder, but I digress.
In addition to the challenges she faces as an adult, there is reference to a sexual assault occurring in her childhood, as well as her abusive relationships in adulthood. Many of these memories linger and haunt her, overwhelming her into depression, but joining some community writing groups and classes seems to be the antidote to much of her pain. Interestingly, her newfound safety in writing does not take up as much space in these pieces as her pain does – yet she does not come across as a weak person. This isn’t supposed to be a memoir of resilience, or the antidote to depression; it’s a meditation on the difficult stuff, and the art forms that allow us to view these hardships in different ways. She doesn’t have the answers and she’s not meant to, which is what makes this thoughtful book so powerful.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis.com/subscribe/
Or follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ivereadthis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivereadthisblog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivereadthis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6E...
October 10, 2021
This is one of those books that makes me feel seen so completely, it’s a bit like “Killing Me Softly” - “I felt she found my letters and read each one aloud.” This is even the case with Rowan McCandless and I being from different generations and having very different life experiences. But we share the same city, some similarities to our upbringings (white family members who were distant and not accepting, the parental belief that you do not air your dirty linen in public, a devotion to religion) and the same overall experience of being a multiracial Black-identified person grappling with history, identity and decolonization. Even with the push for an increase in diversity in publishing, these stories are still relatively rare so that when I do encounter them it is like suddenly coming home.
The book is a series of non-fiction essays that weave together the experience of childhood and domestic abuse with issues of race and hybridity in the context of being the daughter of a mixed marriage in a majority white society, and being relatively light-skinned and able to slip in and out of worlds (in one incongruity likely familiar to many of us, the author’s childhood friends’ father circulated a petition against a Black family moving into his neighbourhood, but allowed her presence in his home. On another occasion, a white woman in a support group horrifyingly tells her that Black women do not have eating disorders because no one judges our bodies.) Additionally she writes about mothering and the traumatic situation of desperately driving 12 hours to Calgary as her adult daughter’s life hung in the balance. Overall, it is a book of resilience and the strength needed to escape an abusive marriage and reclaim her voice and, as the title suggests, Greek mythology plays a role in that resilience.
What I found most mesmerizing is the ingenious way the author plays with form: an abecedarian of all the things that have shaped her life (“A is for ancestry, R is for race,” etc), field notes of archaeological items found from her past, imaginary counsellors’ notes about her and so on. This uniquely provides a distance from highly emotional events that actually allows the reader to think and consider more readily. Most of the essays can be read alone, taking time to digest each, but I gulped them hungrily like a starving woman at a banquet, filled more and more with wonder at each page. Most of all, the book is an ode to the art and craft of writing to overcome loneliness, build community and heal. Writing changed Rowan McCandless’ life, and this is a book that will change your life too.
The book is a series of non-fiction essays that weave together the experience of childhood and domestic abuse with issues of race and hybridity in the context of being the daughter of a mixed marriage in a majority white society, and being relatively light-skinned and able to slip in and out of worlds (in one incongruity likely familiar to many of us, the author’s childhood friends’ father circulated a petition against a Black family moving into his neighbourhood, but allowed her presence in his home. On another occasion, a white woman in a support group horrifyingly tells her that Black women do not have eating disorders because no one judges our bodies.) Additionally she writes about mothering and the traumatic situation of desperately driving 12 hours to Calgary as her adult daughter’s life hung in the balance. Overall, it is a book of resilience and the strength needed to escape an abusive marriage and reclaim her voice and, as the title suggests, Greek mythology plays a role in that resilience.
What I found most mesmerizing is the ingenious way the author plays with form: an abecedarian of all the things that have shaped her life (“A is for ancestry, R is for race,” etc), field notes of archaeological items found from her past, imaginary counsellors’ notes about her and so on. This uniquely provides a distance from highly emotional events that actually allows the reader to think and consider more readily. Most of the essays can be read alone, taking time to digest each, but I gulped them hungrily like a starving woman at a banquet, filled more and more with wonder at each page. Most of all, the book is an ode to the art and craft of writing to overcome loneliness, build community and heal. Writing changed Rowan McCandless’ life, and this is a book that will change your life too.
June 25, 2021
This was a really interesting take on writing a memoir. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
It’s an account of McCandless’ journey to recovery after a lifetime of abuse. From a toxic home environment, she is catapulted into toxic relationships and marriages which ended up equally abusive.
I enjoyed the explorative nature of this. McCandless recounts her experiences of abuse and recovery not in the conventional memoir way, but instead through different collections of writing. This includes an A-Z of word association, memories from different addresses, memories associated with different trees, research data, psychiatrist reports, and word searches. This almost stream-of-consciousness style was really illuminating; I get the feeling that these sections were written as essays to help her come to terms with her experiences, and that these essays were then compiled into a book. Personally I quite enjoyed this approach - but it may not be to everyone’s tastes, and I did grow a bit tired of it towards the end as it felt like a repetition of the same points in different ways.
It does, at points, make for really tough and heartbreaking reading. However, it is some of the most breathtakingly beautiful, raw and perceptive writing I’ve come across in a while. As well as a personal testimony, it does also include some interesting social commentary; there were many elements of this that I found myself nodding in agreement with. Her perspective on life as a female of mixed heritage (and therefore highly vulnerable in an environment rife with racism and objectification) were enlightening.
It’s an account of McCandless’ journey to recovery after a lifetime of abuse. From a toxic home environment, she is catapulted into toxic relationships and marriages which ended up equally abusive.
I enjoyed the explorative nature of this. McCandless recounts her experiences of abuse and recovery not in the conventional memoir way, but instead through different collections of writing. This includes an A-Z of word association, memories from different addresses, memories associated with different trees, research data, psychiatrist reports, and word searches. This almost stream-of-consciousness style was really illuminating; I get the feeling that these sections were written as essays to help her come to terms with her experiences, and that these essays were then compiled into a book. Personally I quite enjoyed this approach - but it may not be to everyone’s tastes, and I did grow a bit tired of it towards the end as it felt like a repetition of the same points in different ways.
It does, at points, make for really tough and heartbreaking reading. However, it is some of the most breathtakingly beautiful, raw and perceptive writing I’ve come across in a while. As well as a personal testimony, it does also include some interesting social commentary; there were many elements of this that I found myself nodding in agreement with. Her perspective on life as a female of mixed heritage (and therefore highly vulnerable in an environment rife with racism and objectification) were enlightening.
July 27, 2021
Persephone’s Children by Rowan McCandless
328 Pages
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Nonfiction, Biographies, Memoirs, Domestic Violence, Counseling
Rowan McCandless is a biracial woman living in Canada. She writes about her abusive relationships and her final escape. She shows how much it took to finally have the courage to leave.
These are the names of the chapters.
Blood Tithes: A Primer
Binding Resolutions
Articulations of Loss
Trialogue: A Play on Words
Today
Thoughts on Keeping a Notebook
Map of the World
Forest, Tree, Branch, Root
Therapist
Revolving Doors
Found Objects
Orange
Hunger Games: A Quiz
Bait and Switch
Practical Magick: A Beginner’s Grimoire
Vocal Lessons: A Diagnostic Report
An Inventory of Wants and Needs
The book is written in a unique format. Some of it is written as a dictionary of terms with definitions. There are questions and quizzes with multiple choice answers. Each chapter discusses a specific times or events in the author’s life. Dealing with domestic violence is hard and the author shows her bravery in her worlds. She also talks about how words can hurt a woman, especially a woman with an eating disorder and a woman of color.
When I started the book, I was confused with the first chapter but soon realized how the author was laying out the story. There are sayings in the book that will stay with me long after I finish the book. I enjoyed reading about Rowan and her courage to leave a violent situation. I recommend this book to see how hard it is to live with domestic violence and make the decision to leave.
328 Pages
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Nonfiction, Biographies, Memoirs, Domestic Violence, Counseling
Rowan McCandless is a biracial woman living in Canada. She writes about her abusive relationships and her final escape. She shows how much it took to finally have the courage to leave.
These are the names of the chapters.
Blood Tithes: A Primer
Binding Resolutions
Articulations of Loss
Trialogue: A Play on Words
Today
Thoughts on Keeping a Notebook
Map of the World
Forest, Tree, Branch, Root
Therapist
Revolving Doors
Found Objects
Orange
Hunger Games: A Quiz
Bait and Switch
Practical Magick: A Beginner’s Grimoire
Vocal Lessons: A Diagnostic Report
An Inventory of Wants and Needs
The book is written in a unique format. Some of it is written as a dictionary of terms with definitions. There are questions and quizzes with multiple choice answers. Each chapter discusses a specific times or events in the author’s life. Dealing with domestic violence is hard and the author shows her bravery in her worlds. She also talks about how words can hurt a woman, especially a woman with an eating disorder and a woman of color.
When I started the book, I was confused with the first chapter but soon realized how the author was laying out the story. There are sayings in the book that will stay with me long after I finish the book. I enjoyed reading about Rowan and her courage to leave a violent situation. I recommend this book to see how hard it is to live with domestic violence and make the decision to leave.
Read
July 8, 2021Rowan McCandless writes about being in an abusive relationship and the damage and trauma this has caused, even long after she has decided to leave. The structure of this memoir is so interesting and unlike anything I'd read before: each chapter is written in a different format. One chapter takes the form of a contract; one is a crossword puzzle; one details a diagnosis of her vocal chords and the damage the relationship caused to her voice. My favourite (though this sounds strange to say about a book that deals with such difficult topics) was the chapter that took the form of a screenplay: she and her then-husband played fictionalised versions of themselves, and the director and writer kept trying to fit their story into different genres. The way McCandless writes about her experiences is so vulnerable and sincere. She talks about growing up in a mixed-race household and the complexities this brings; she discusses being sexually assaulted as a teenager and how the shame and guilt she felt influenced other events later in her life. She writes about writing and how this played a big part in her recovery after leaving her abusive husband. Though I don't think the format of the memoir always worked perfectly, I really loved the parts where it did and really admire McCandless for trying something so different. I enjoyed her writing and look forward to seeing what she writes next.
April 11, 2022
Our author tells the story of leaving her verbally and emotionally abusive third husband and the aftermath. She has been silenced so often that it takes a while to find her voice. This memoir in fragments is the result of finding her voice.
Negatives for me were the fragmented nature of the tale, and the fact that I listened to it as an audiobook. McCandless tells the story in unique formats, like a contract, a crossword puzzle, a glossary, etc. Because so much of the storytelling is done this way, I'd skip the audiobook and look at the physical or e-book instead. Because this is a series of pieces strung together as a memoir, it gets repetitive in some places as well.
The positives are that McCandless does have some moments of really beautiful writing and insight into being a multi-racial woman who experiences an eating disorder and multiple abusive relationships. This is the type of story rarely told.
I did find myself really caring about the author and cheering for her by the end of the book, so I don't want to discourage anybody else from reading it. Do go in knowing that it's probably better NOT to listen to the audiobook and that this story is told in unconventional ways.
Negatives for me were the fragmented nature of the tale, and the fact that I listened to it as an audiobook. McCandless tells the story in unique formats, like a contract, a crossword puzzle, a glossary, etc. Because so much of the storytelling is done this way, I'd skip the audiobook and look at the physical or e-book instead. Because this is a series of pieces strung together as a memoir, it gets repetitive in some places as well.
The positives are that McCandless does have some moments of really beautiful writing and insight into being a multi-racial woman who experiences an eating disorder and multiple abusive relationships. This is the type of story rarely told.
I did find myself really caring about the author and cheering for her by the end of the book, so I don't want to discourage anybody else from reading it. Do go in knowing that it's probably better NOT to listen to the audiobook and that this story is told in unconventional ways.
May 30, 2021
A life in Fragments really describes this book very well.
I found it to be a bit confusing, jumping from one thing to another (though always with a running theme) but it make perfect sense in all with the title.
I was provided with an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I’m throwing a guess now, but I think this is a book you’ll want as a physical copy, as an e-book formatting might not be the best to enjoy the different format as best as you can.
The author uses different kind of tools for storytelling that brings a different perspective to highlight her history of abuse.
I am not Canadian, but having lived in Canada for a few years, it was enlightening to read about the experience of a biracial black Canadian woman and how difficult it was.
If you enjoy linear, « classic », storytelling, this book might not be for you. However, if you like trying new things, and are ready for a non-fiction book that changes a bit from the chronological format, give this one a try.
I found it to be a bit confusing, jumping from one thing to another (though always with a running theme) but it make perfect sense in all with the title.
I was provided with an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I’m throwing a guess now, but I think this is a book you’ll want as a physical copy, as an e-book formatting might not be the best to enjoy the different format as best as you can.
The author uses different kind of tools for storytelling that brings a different perspective to highlight her history of abuse.
I am not Canadian, but having lived in Canada for a few years, it was enlightening to read about the experience of a biracial black Canadian woman and how difficult it was.
If you enjoy linear, « classic », storytelling, this book might not be for you. However, if you like trying new things, and are ready for a non-fiction book that changes a bit from the chronological format, give this one a try.
September 15, 2021
Persephone's Children is an unique, different memoir.
The vibes are "memoir x poetry collection" - made with an assortment of different formats, each Fragment tells you a new bit of the author's life. The writing style also contributed to the poetry feel.
This creative non-fiction creates a different type of interaction with the book and with the "story", and seems particularly fitting when discussing the parts of a life that deal with pain, abuse, discrimination/oppression and trauma.
Most of the book deals with heavy, dark moments /periods of McCandless life, mainly regarding her abusive relationships, and her road as a survivor. Other themes include race (biracial), eating disorders, sexual assault, being a mother, abortion, being a woman.
TW/CW: abortion, relationship/domestic abuse, sexual assault, racism, eating disorders, medical issues (specifically in giving birth).
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
The vibes are "memoir x poetry collection" - made with an assortment of different formats, each Fragment tells you a new bit of the author's life. The writing style also contributed to the poetry feel.
This creative non-fiction creates a different type of interaction with the book and with the "story", and seems particularly fitting when discussing the parts of a life that deal with pain, abuse, discrimination/oppression and trauma.
Most of the book deals with heavy, dark moments /periods of McCandless life, mainly regarding her abusive relationships, and her road as a survivor. Other themes include race (biracial), eating disorders, sexual assault, being a mother, abortion, being a woman.
TW/CW: abortion, relationship/domestic abuse, sexual assault, racism, eating disorders, medical issues (specifically in giving birth).
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
June 12, 2023
I've taught courses in creative nonfiction at the university level and written creative nonfiction myself, so I felt prepared to tackle Persephone's Children: A Life in Fragments from a genre perspective. And still, McCandless dazzled me in the ways she expressed emotional truth using structure, space, and shape. It's one thing to speak the truth; it moves to a higher level of brilliance to actually show it in the nuts-and-bolts of genre and sequence. McCandless achieves that, and then some.
I dipped into these essays over the course of several months because they pack a powerful emotional energy that I needed to sit with and reflect on. When a skilled writer such as McCandless writes from various points of trauma, the product is bound to influence readers' emotions. But this is one reason I read--to hear what others have to say, especially those with different experiences. And yet I discovered some things I that I have in common with the author as well, which made it feel like she and I were in conversation.
I strongly recommend this book!
I dipped into these essays over the course of several months because they pack a powerful emotional energy that I needed to sit with and reflect on. When a skilled writer such as McCandless writes from various points of trauma, the product is bound to influence readers' emotions. But this is one reason I read--to hear what others have to say, especially those with different experiences. And yet I discovered some things I that I have in common with the author as well, which made it feel like she and I were in conversation.
I strongly recommend this book!
March 16, 2021
*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Persephone’s Children is a memoir unlike any other. It is told through many different essays, in many different forms, including (but not limited to) an alphabetized list, a field study, multiple choice Q&A, religious and cultural rituals, text message exchanges, a glossary of terms, as well as regular essays.
The main subject of the memoir is McCandless’s most recent abusive marriage, and how she got help to leave. The author also discusses the domestic abuse from her first marriage, childhood sexual assault, her eating disorder and how it relates to her racial identity as a mixed Black person with intergenerational trauma, and her relationship with her parents and other family members that may have led her to “lose her voice”. She discusses how therapy, her daughters, and ultimately writing and its surrounding community helped her find her voice again.
Persephone’s Children is a memoir unlike any other. It is told through many different essays, in many different forms, including (but not limited to) an alphabetized list, a field study, multiple choice Q&A, religious and cultural rituals, text message exchanges, a glossary of terms, as well as regular essays.
The main subject of the memoir is McCandless’s most recent abusive marriage, and how she got help to leave. The author also discusses the domestic abuse from her first marriage, childhood sexual assault, her eating disorder and how it relates to her racial identity as a mixed Black person with intergenerational trauma, and her relationship with her parents and other family members that may have led her to “lose her voice”. She discusses how therapy, her daughters, and ultimately writing and its surrounding community helped her find her voice again.
Want to read
November 6, 2021This was an interesting read. It is a memoir exploring domestic violence and all that relates to this. The format is confusing at first, but it is a unique and powerful method of telling the story. I read this as an eARC but my feeling is that this format doesn’t do it justice. I think a physical book would capture the poetic methods used within these pages. The author explores all the different ways that domestic abuse are manifest, from physical to controlling to demoralizing. Essentially, it is a story about the ways that an abuser can chip away at the humanity of the abused.
This is an interesting and powerful look into an abusive relationship.
I would like to see a final version of the book to see if the style choices work better than they did in the eARC. The author was very creative with the approach.
#PersephonesChildren #NetGalley #DundumPress
This is an interesting and powerful look into an abusive relationship.
I would like to see a final version of the book to see if the style choices work better than they did in the eARC. The author was very creative with the approach.
#PersephonesChildren #NetGalley #DundumPress
March 30, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
OH MY GOODNESS. This is a 5 star book. I can say with great confidence that I have never, ever read a book like this before. McCandless' creativity and imagination were on full display with this work - she pushed the creative nonfiction genre lightyears ahead with this work and I can't wait to read more of her work in the future. This book...goodness me. It chewed me up and left me in tears at the end. I'm in awe.
++ i wrote to Rowan McCandless and she responded so quickly and was so, so encouraging and sweet! please support her because she's doing the work!!
OH MY GOODNESS. This is a 5 star book. I can say with great confidence that I have never, ever read a book like this before. McCandless' creativity and imagination were on full display with this work - she pushed the creative nonfiction genre lightyears ahead with this work and I can't wait to read more of her work in the future. This book...goodness me. It chewed me up and left me in tears at the end. I'm in awe.
++ i wrote to Rowan McCandless and she responded so quickly and was so, so encouraging and sweet! please support her because she's doing the work!!
March 20, 2021
This is a beautiful book - lots of lists and thoughts and metaphors. Trees and houses and moving forwards . It felt like the privilege of being inside the jumbled thoughts of an abused woman living in a nightmare into moving on into list making and sorting and surviving..
The kind of writing that stays with you.
ARC from Netgalley
The kind of writing that stays with you.
ARC from Netgalley
December 2, 2021
Wow, this book is like nothing I’ve read before. It is so original and creative, and incredibly moving. It’s a memoir of a woman’s journey to leave an abusive relationship, told in essay form BUT each of the essays is structurally very different. Think: script for a play, a multiple choice quiz, a crossword. There is a lot of mythology, horticulture, and magic woven into the story.
November 16, 2023
Definitely read this book in its physical copy if you can! It was really unique storytelling, but because of it’s creativity (the crossword, for example), the audiobook at times made it hard to follow along.
Overall, the author’s ability to transcribe such heavy topics in such a unique way makes the book memorable and captivating.
Overall, the author’s ability to transcribe such heavy topics in such a unique way makes the book memorable and captivating.
January 31, 2025
3.5
Some of the essays definitely drew me in more than others; the one on the trees was magic. I thoroughly enjoyed the inventive way this is fused together to pull the threads throw, and how much education is intermingled with entertainment while also feeling like a cheerleader for Rowan while she navigates it all.
I’d highly recommend reading this one and not listening to an audio version.
Some of the essays definitely drew me in more than others; the one on the trees was magic. I thoroughly enjoyed the inventive way this is fused together to pull the threads throw, and how much education is intermingled with entertainment while also feeling like a cheerleader for Rowan while she navigates it all.
I’d highly recommend reading this one and not listening to an audio version.
February 27, 2022
I took this out from the library & I’m buying a copy tomorrow. This book is the richest example of touching topics of trauma, without the trigger of writing as a re-living. I can’t recommend this book enough
June 14, 2022
Thank you for the chance to read this! I love reading books that have varied ways of telling the story-like you're actually there hearing her tell it to you. A hard read in the sense of the topics in it but enjoyable.
May 15, 2025
This book is stunning. It’s a collection of fragments of text, offered up through different forms, and its memoir in a collage of styles and words. Totally opened up my eyes to what I could do as a writer with my essay stylings.
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