Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir – Book Review

Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir by Rachel Louise Snyder

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In many ways “Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir” is a difficult book to rate. It did not feel cohesive and the 2 halves of the book felt like completely different stories.

I was not familiar with the author so requested the book based solely on the title and synopsis. I was immediately drawn into the story of the young Rachel and what she had lost. Her story was powerful and heartbreaking. Her telling of the story felt raw and real. This is the story of a young girl who lost her mother to cancer and then her father remarried and raised them in an extremely religious household. This led to rebellion and acting out from the author and some of her siblings. The book details a difficult adolescence and one which required the author to navigate many situations without the safety net of her family.

Eventually the author is convinced to revisit education and at this point the tone of the writing shifts. It begins to feel less like her story and more like a political article. Section five drones on for me as it feels like a history of Cambodia rather than HER story in Cambodia.

Throughout the second half of the book, we hear very little about her life or her relationships. Details are glossed over, and I found myself going “wait, what?” several times. The memoir does come full circle back to her dad and stepmom but that doesn’t make sense to me. The evolution of the relationship is not clear and so it feels abrupt and even a bit contrived in parts. I found the ending very unsatisfying.

I also am not sure I understand the significance of the title within the context of her story.

I listened to “Women We Buried, Women We Burned” on audio and I did very much enjoy hearing it read by the author.

Overall, I would rate this 3.5 stars. The first half I really enjoyed but the second half felt a bit flat for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to ARC of this memoir.



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