Holy Woman

Louise Omer was a Pentecostal preacher and faithful wife. But when her marriage crumbled, so did her beliefs.Haunted by questions about what it means to be female in a religion that worships a male God, she left behind a church and home to ask women around the world- how can we exist in patriarchal religion? And can a woman be holy?With $500 in her pocket and the conviction that she was following a divine path, Louise began a pilgrimage that has taken her to Mexican basilicas, Swedish cathedrals, Bulgarian mountains, and Moroccan mosques. Holy Woman combines travel writing, feminist theology, and confessional memoir to interrogate modern religion and give a raw and personal exploration of spiritual life under patriarchy.'Omer leads by example, showing us how to re-imagine heroism, grace, and redemption - above all, in our own lives. A vital story, so powerfully written.'-Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner and The Believer'Holy Woman is a delight. Raw, honest, and probing, at times furious, Omer's journey toward the feminine divine is one that both entertains and inspires.'-Monica Dux, author of Lapsed'Utterly compelling memoir about Omer's break-up with the notion of a patriarchal god and her pilgrimage to find a new way of thinking about spirituality, feminism, and faith. It's travel memoir, confessional, and feminist theology all in one beautifully written work.'-Kate Mildenhall

“'Omer leads by example, showing us how to re-imagine heroism, grace, and redemption -- above all, in our own lives. A vital story, so powerfully written.'”

For Louise Omer, leaving a problematic marriage became leaving a faith. For her, the two went hand-in-hand, one a symbol of the other: the wife is subject to the husband, as the husband is subject to God. Why? Omer felt the question before she consciously acknowledged it. Why did she-and so many of us across many different cultures-accept that God is male? And what did that mean for her as the (female) protagonist of her own life? What follows in Omer's memoir Holy Woman is an intercontinental search for the Goddess and for the roots of male-centric faith systems, as well as hard-won insights into the life Omer had previously accepted, but no longer will. Having grown up with similar beliefs, and having similar realisations following marriage, Omer's journey rang true for me. It will ring true for others. Holy Woman is similar in genre to Eat Pray Love and readers of Elizabeth Gilbert will enjoy Omer's personal story, in particular it's funny personal vignettes. But-as with Eat Pray Love-this is a serious journey, undertaken at a moment of severe personal trauma for the writer, and lighter moments are overshadowed by more serious ones. Yet it is a positive book. Holy Woman will challenge assumptions about religion and faith and the culture we accept. Perhaps for some, as it did for me, it will solidify their doubts. Rebecca Whitehead is a freelance writer from Melbourne.

Louise Omer is a writer born on Kaurna Country with essays, criticism, and poetry published in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, The Lifted Brow, and more. Beyond Australia, she has lived in Scotland and Ireland, and has a heart connection to many lands, seas, and people.

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