ORIGINAL REVIEW:
What a powerful and relevant book for wives who have been hurt by pornography, or for those who seek to understand. There are certainly many ways to steer readers wrong with a topic like this, but author Jenny Solomon gracefully resists them all.
This book avoids the entitlement/rage approach—“Girl. You don’t deserve a marriage like that...” and the godly doormat approach—“If you were just a more dutiful wife…” Instead, Jenny Solomon wisely calls readers to lament, seek help, define the scope of addiction, release self-blame, and embrace principles such as refusing to take revenge, envisioning what mercy looks like, and exploring what growth in your marriage can look like, (whether or not your husband is on board with making changes).
I absolutely love how Solomon leans into the story of Eliza Hamilton as a picture of grieving and reclaiming a marriage torn apart by sexual sin. Solomon also calls readers to take a deep dive into the experience of Abigail in the biblical narrative of Nabal & David.
Jenny Solomon writes with vulnerability and candor, gently coming alongside sisters who can relate to her story. You can really tell her purpose in writing the book is not just validation, empowerment, or quick fixes, but rather personal & marital healing.
Thankfully, “Reclaim Your Marriage” also addresses elephant-in-the-room questions such as “What about abuse?” “Should I marry a porn addict?” and “Can a porn addict be involved in ministry?”
“Reclaim Your Marriage” is a hugely valuable resource, in this age when more boys and men than ever struggle with internet porn. Jenny Solomon’s husband Curtis has also written a companion volume for husbands called “Redeem Your Marriage” that I suspect is also worth checking out!
~Jen
10/2024 Update: Forgot to mention another critical issue Jenny Solomon addresses: the dilemma many Christian wives face from husbands who are not supportive of their spiritual growth. I have been FLOORED at how pervasive of an issue this is. Over the years I have grieved over female friends who have resisted church membership, (or even refused to attend church at all!) because their husbands aren’t on board—husbands, who in many cases profess to be believers.
These wives are holding back from seeking spiritual nourishment from preaching and teaching of God’s Word, from receiving spiritual oversight through being linked to a church, and from enjoying regular spiritual connection with the body of Christ, because they “need to submit to their husband.”
Solomon very helpfully explains that in cases like this, the call of obedience to God trumps the call of submission to one’s spouse.
I suspect many of us find it easier to embrace this concept when applied in other contexts, such as, “Obey the government except when it requires you to disobey God.” But for some reason our ability to envision this in a marriage context becomes muddled.
Granted, in some cases, there are other complicating issues at work, such as codependency, abuse, enabling, or even adopting “my husband doesn’t want us to” as a personal excuse. But wives, this is a call to throw off relational & spiritual dysfunction and follow God’s call on our lives, first & foremost above anything another human is demanding of us (even our own spouse). And if we are sensing conflict between God's call and something our husband is pressuring us into, it’s time to do the hard work of putting this principle to work. For anyone dealing with this personally, Jenny Solomon says it waaaay better than I can, so I deeply recommend this book.