First, a confession: I have never read a George Orwell book.
I was never force-fed Animal Farm or 1984 at school. But I was interested to discover that behind the famous author was a tenacious, funny and brilliant woman, who may have been a better writer than him.
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life resurrects the life of a forgotten woman. Eileen O’Shaughnessy was an Oxford educated woman with a Master’s in psychology. She was attractive, funny and the life of the party. She critiqued and edited Orwell’s work and she worked herself to the bone to financially support his writing. But as Anna Funder digs into Eileen’s witty, evocative and self-deprecating letters to her best friend, she discovers something disturbing – Orwell was a terrible husband. He pursued other women relentlessly, even as Eileen’s health declined, and she lost the will to live.
In Wifedom, Funder shows exactly how Eileen was written out of the story. But she also reveals a difficult marriage that left a talented and vibrant woman exhausted, depleted and riddled with self-doubt. One of the most heartbreaking parts of this book is when Eileen needs an expensive operation to save her life, but questions whether she is worth the money. Orwell doesn’t offer any support.
To be honest, this book made me angry, but I was also grateful that it has given Eileen a voice again.
Wifedom is not a traditional biography – it’s a beautifully crafted, forensically researched, genre-bending examination of the existing narrative around George Orwell’s life with Eileen. The audiobook is wonderful, but I’d recommend grabbing a physical copy or eBook – the historical photos really bring the story to life.
– Katrina Roe, RRL Admin
