A hauntingly raw portrayal of rage, loss, love, and the quiet disruption of time. It got me questioning aspects of relationships that I only saw through rose tinted glasses. Brutal, dirty and chaotic; life is not at all smooth where it got me staring at the wall in despair. The suffocating prose left an unease swimming in the pit of my stomach and I am in awe of Beauvoir’s writing.

If one thing I take away from Rilke’s letters is to be patient, to pause in life and see what you are doing and reflect on actions. Rilke stands as a wise guardian guiding your steps and helping you navigate the world through achingly beautiful prose. A short novella that I believe everyone should read.

I will walk the path that defines me, not what the society deems appropriate path for a woman. I am a woman, and I can be whatever I choose to be.

For all the voices that were silenced, for the author who was jailed and arrested for simply writing words reflecting oppression, for a book banned for thinking too high in a country that runs on low ideologies, once give this story a chance.