The Chain | Litsy

The Chain: The Relationships That Break Us, the Women Who Rebuild Us | Chimene Suleyman

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This is a tough, but excellent and important, read. Chimene Suleyman writes brilliantly about her awful experience with a manipulative abusive ex-partner, who disappeared while she was in a clinic having a termination, the trauma of coming to terms with his abuse, and the strength she drew from finding other women who had suffered similar abuse from him.

arlenefinnigan She highlights how systemic societal misogyny protects and enables abusers, and shames women into putting up with & excusing abusive behaviour; how, while many men suffer in silence from mental health problems because they fear being seen as 'weak' for struggling, other men weaponise mental health to excuse their behaviour (her ex partner claimed to have agoraphobia and autism, and made her, and other women, feel guilty for challenging him); 4mo

arlenefinnigan ... and how women, out of necessity, look out for and support each other. A very powerful book. 4mo

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The Chain: The Relationships That Break Us, the Women Who Rebuild Us | Chimene Suleyman

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OutsmartYourShelf

The Chain: The Relationships That Break Us, the Women Who Rebuild Us | Chimene Suleyman

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Jan 2017, & the author arrives at an abortion clinic with her boyfriend. When the appointment is over, he is nowhere to be seen. Arriving home, all his possessions are gone, & he sends a harsh text abruptly ending their relationship. In the aftermath of this cruel betrayal, the author discovers that she is not the first (or last) that this man has used & discarded - there's a trail of women left bewildered, angry, & down thousands of dollars.

OutsmartYourShelf Such a personal memoir is difficult to give a rating, as how do you review someone's experiences & feelings? It's obviously written from the heart & the author's pain is evident. It can become a little ranty & meandering at times but given her experiences I understand it.

On a wider scale, the author looks at how society is set up to facilitate this kind of behaviour: from friends who are inclined to ignore or condone the behaviour of this type 11mo

OutsmartYourShelf of man, to the double standard that women are socialised into keep giving badly behaved men another chance but when they are hurt & deceived, they are told they should have known better.

The author brings up some really interesting points that I've been thinking about since I finished reading this book yesterday. Overall, honest memoir about a difficult experience, but it can meander a little & become a little repetitive. 4🌟
11mo

OutsmartYourShelf My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Orion Publishing Group/Weidenfeld & Nicolson, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6347883478
Read: 27th Mar 2024

#ReadAway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES 11mo

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