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A review by cultbyproxy
More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
Molly author’s note begins as follows, “When I first conceived of writing this book, I consulted my old journals and was shocked to discover how often I had lied to myself. I understood, then, that I would have to do a great deal of emotional work to find a deeper truth than any I had previously written down. This book is my attempt to retrieve such truth.” This book, and it’s author, are in no way perfect, and that’s the point.
In More: A Memoir of Open Marriage, Molly Rosen Winter takes us through the rollercoaster ride that began when she and her husband Stewart decided to open their marriage. We have a front row seat to ten years of a messy mix of sex, tears, therapy and love which I could only compare to watching someone throw out a recipe book and decide to wing it at the delicate chemistry of baking. Molly grapples with the discovery of how her marriage mirrors that of her parents, what finding herself in the midst of being a mother/wife/daughter looks like, and ultimately the troughs and peaks of an open marriage.
I don’t think this book is meant to be aspirational, or a guide to ethical non-monogamy. This memoir was written to be honest. To show the messiness of love, give insight into a world that is unknown and taboo to many, and to rival the perfect images of romance in most media.
I commend her ability to show her lowest moments, to bring forth the ugly parts of relationships that we tend to box away and deem too vulgar for the public eye. Did I despise all but one person in this book, yes (shoutout to Liam for being the only person in this entire book who I wouldn’t fear knowing). May a love like that between Molly and Stewart never locate me, but to each their own.
My favourite passage:
“I lie on the bed in the empty hotel room and feel love coursing through me. It’s painful and it’s beautiful, and the pain and the beauty are part of the same thing.”
In More: A Memoir of Open Marriage, Molly Rosen Winter takes us through the rollercoaster ride that began when she and her husband Stewart decided to open their marriage. We have a front row seat to ten years of a messy mix of sex, tears, therapy and love which I could only compare to watching someone throw out a recipe book and decide to wing it at the delicate chemistry of baking. Molly grapples with the discovery of how her marriage mirrors that of her parents, what finding herself in the midst of being a mother/wife/daughter looks like, and ultimately the troughs and peaks of an open marriage.
I don’t think this book is meant to be aspirational, or a guide to ethical non-monogamy. This memoir was written to be honest. To show the messiness of love, give insight into a world that is unknown and taboo to many, and to rival the perfect images of romance in most media.
I commend her ability to show her lowest moments, to bring forth the ugly parts of relationships that we tend to box away and deem too vulgar for the public eye. Did I despise all but one person in this book, yes (shoutout to Liam for being the only person in this entire book who I wouldn’t fear knowing). May a love like that between Molly and Stewart never locate me, but to each their own.
My favourite passage:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent