A spiritual renaissance accompanies devastating personal upheaval in Jen Hatmaker's eloquently crafted memoir, Awake. Whether it's recounting a middle-of-the-night discovery of shocking marital betrayal or chronicling a thriving new chapter as a single woman, Hatmaker's story offers an invaluable road map for confronting self-doubt, embracing fear of the unknown, and emerging from trauma with the capacity to love and be loved intact.
A talented writer and former pastor's wife, Hatmaker (Feed These People) hosts the podcast For the Love. The aftershocks of her divorce rippled far and wide, taking a toll on her five children as well as the church community she and her ex-husband built over decades of service. Hatmaker narrates Awake in an easy, conversational tone, expressing compassion for the role her spouse thought he had to play due to his evangelical upbringing. Her ability to laugh at mistakes is a refreshing reminder to let joy in whenever possible.
Hatmaker is candid about her own shortcomings and how she avoided asking hard questions about the state of her marriage. Her radical honesty sets the tone for readers who might be struggling to untangle the threads of their own fraying relationships. It extends to a rejection of "organized religion, once [her] happy place," while her belief in and love for the divine emerges even stronger.
Hatmaker has the remarkable ability to appreciate the lighter side of life even as she describes the shattering of her family and the terrifying loneliness of her divorce. Awake is a gift to her readers, a steadying hand through the highs and lows of seismic life transitions. --Shahina Piyarali