Relationships are hard, but dealing with a breakup alone is much more challenging. When we talk about women empowerment and feminism, they are always about the deeper societal issues of the wage gap, discrimination, harassment, and antiquated stereotypes. This isn't to say that we should ignore these issues, but sometimes, you just don't feel like reading something so in-your-face.
People forget that the effects of women empowerment and feminism (or lack thereof) are a lived experience. This lived experience exists within the discussions of systemic issues and in relatively unimportant matters like those concerning personal relationships.
Harry Stefano's book celebrates this embodiment of feminism that we often overlook – those found in the everyday struggles and experiences where your individualism shines through. Getting Over Mr. Zane – Stepping Back tells the story of a woman suffering from depression and discrimination from her perspective. It narrates her struggles in breaking free, making it out with fellow women's help, and coming to terms with her bad decisions. Our protagonist here is far from perfect, but you can't help but root for her, given what she's up against.
In some ways, we can see ourselves in her – flawed but still continuously working to live a better life. From the first book about Mr. Zane, we know that he's a married man who participated in an extra-marital affair with our protagonist. But does that mean she is deserving of the whole town's wrath? Not when it's sparked by a jealous lover.
So 'Getting Over Mr. Zane' is not merely crying it out and moving on. It's about breaking free from the grips of a powerful and influential man, something that many women have experienced at least once in its life. Stefano has masterfully incorporated elements of feminism. He displayed stark differences between a woman and a man's influence but took it to the extremes. It's amazing how he completed this first-person narrative without isolating readers who just want to escape in fiction.
There are a lot of lessons that you can get from this book. Our protagonist, as imperfect as she may be, is an example of strength. Fighting Goliath was hard for David, but it would've been harder for a woman with some much more stacked against her. But more importantly, what the wrong you do will eventually haunt you. And with just a stroke of bad luck, you might just find a Mr. Zane.
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