Aug 12

Aug 12 The Crane Wife - CJ Hauser

I've had some time to think about this most excellent book so I will do my best to express my thoughts.

First things first, this book is AMAZING. I requested it because I saw so many different people on Twitter raving about it. I vaguely remember hearing about the author's essay of the same name, but other than that, I don't think I'd ever read her work. I've been trying to expand my reading to authors I normally wouldn't bother to read and thought, why not? Well, let me tell you, I made the right damn decision.

The Crane Wife is so incredibly good. CJ Hauser has no problem writing about how messy her life has been. And although she and I have had vastly different lives, we both have had similar experiences when it comes to dating. In the essay, "The Second Mrs. de Winter" (my favorite of the bunch), the author meshes her experience dating a divorced man with the book Rebecca, a book I have never read but did see the film adaptation. I only watched it once when I was a teen (I watched a lot of black-and-whites back then for some reason), but I have never forgotten that film. The author had her own Maxim and I did, as well. Both of us put up with the constant reminders of our versions of the First Mrs. de Winter and I'll tell you, it was pretty damn terrible for us. Looking back on my own experience, I could have saved myself so much time and heartache if I had just left and never looked back. But Hauser lays it all out for us to read, no matter how messy or cringey. She isn't afraid to show us her most vulnerable self in every essay and I appreciated it so much.

I'm so glad I read this book because now I have a new author to obsess over. CJ Hauser's writing is intelligent and draws you in almost immediately. I'm looking forward to reading her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon