Reviews

I am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, Doug Wright

lezreadalot's review

3.0

You are teaching me a history I never knew I had.

Really interesting, but ultimately kind of lacking. This was originally written as a play and probably worked better as one. I enjoyed the listening experience, but it just left me with the impression that there was so much more about Charlotte's life that we weren't getting. The author did his best to show the complexity, tell all sides of the story, but I still felt like there was a gaping hole in the middle. Also (and I feel this way about all biographies I've read that employ this method of storytelling) I really could have done without the dramatisation, the author inserting titbits of himself and his own life into the book/play. I didn't dislike it, but I'd have much preferred a drier, more factual rendition of the facts of Charlotte's life and her involvement in WWII and the Cold War. But then, that wouldn't have been a play, which is what the author set out to write in the first place. So I don't really have room to complain.

Nevertheless, an enlightening read. Listened to the audiobook as read by Jefferson Mays, who did a pretty impressive array of different voices. There were also some audio snippets from Wright's actual interviews with Charlotte, which was pretty cool. I'm glad I read this, as I didn't know anything about her before it.

Content warnings:

Spoiler

transphobia, misgendering, homophobia, use of dated terms, discussion of war and genocide, murder

.