This article was produced following a request from the author to write a fair and honest review for their book.
Rating: 4 stars
Headline: A heartfelt memoir of resilience and transformation, “Everwoven” speaks to readers with delicate poise and consideration
Review:
Penned by debut author Megan Margherio, Everwoven: A Memoir. A Reckoning (hereafter Everwoven) is a first person account of the author’s life, from her formative years, through to her thirties. Blending the genres of memoir and creative storytelling, Margherio states the intention of her work succinctly in her opening introduction. “Everything you read [in Everwoven] is my truth, my reclamation,” she says, “but I intentionally crafted this story to allow you to feel, rather than simply observe, what happened.”
Beginning in a small American Midwestern town of circa 55 people, the opening chapters of Everwoven makes for what is, at points, a heart breaking read of a child recounting alleged abused at the hands of those she trusted most. It is a saddening tale only deepened by the author’s realisation some years later that the family’s main source of income came from running a puppy farm. From here, the narrative moves onto first jobs, careers in the hospital Emergency Room (ER), and the many forms of love, including loss and heartbreak. This, before eventually detailing the author’s rebirth and her optimism in what lies ahead.
The memoir is structured differently to many titles in this genre of non-fiction, in that there are conventional sections where the author recounts her life growing up, paired with sections where the author interacts with younger versions of herself in the third person. The below example from page 14 demonstrates how this plays out within the context of the memoir:
“Are you there, Little Me?” I hold my breath, hoping.
Silence.
But I feel her. I know she’s there, hovering just beyond my awareness.
Watching.
“I know you’re there. The air thickens when you’re near. I can hear
your breath—small, quiet, waiting.”
[…]
A whisper. Sharp. Skeptical. “You always say that.”
It is certainly a different approach to writing a memoir and for some it might take a chapter or two to get into the swing of it. Sections like these alter the tempo and tone of voice from something very direct and factual, to something more softly spoken (and, dare I say it, novel-ish in approach).
Coming in at 377 pages, cover to cover, Everwoven is a book best absorbed in chunks, especially given some of the challenging themes it tackles head-on. As memoirs go Everwoven is by no means an easy read and, to some, the darkened content might be a bridge too far. However for those who take heart in a memoir filled with sparks of joy and uplift, there is much to be commended here.
While there are always two sides to every story, Margherio’s characterisation of the significant people in her life allows a deeper understanding and connection to the figures in the author’s life, including those of her younger self. With this, Margherio has been able to perform something striking, transforming the bitter bile of the past into the sweetened honey of hope.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Purchase Link: “Everwoven: A Memoir. A Reckoning” by Megan Margherio
Author’s Social Media: @megan_margherio on Instagram and TikTok
Author Website: meganmargherio.com
**
**
My Housemate's a Mermaid 