Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, the author recreates the Orwells’ marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WW II in London and Wallington. Unraveling these letters that give a look into the so far concealed Orwell’s private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer. What it is to be a wife.

Eileen is Oxford educated, at a time when it was most unusual for women to attend a university. Anna Funder discovers that Eileen O'Shaughnessy wanted to be a lecturer at Oxford, but at the time it was rare if not unheard of, for a woman to receive a First which would enable them to teach.

However, Eileen's literary accomplishments and  knowledge help Orwell as they discuss and plan his famous books. She plays an important role in his literary life as well as being his wife, sadly uncredited by her husband or his biographers.

When newly married they live in Wallington, in England in what seems like pretty squalid and harsh conditions. As a wife she not only puts up with the freezing cold house with its tin roof in winter and a smoky fireplace, but she does her best to make it more comfortable for George and herself.

As a wife she works hard in their home, growing their vegetables, doing the household chores, some made me wince, looking after Orwell as well as typing out his manuscripts and edits his work leaving little time for herself.

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Through the letters to her best friend and others we read about their dangerous times in the Spanish Civil War, despite writing  to her mother she finds being on the front line fun.Fortunately as times become more dangerous she is always one step ahead, clearly good at planning and good at finding escape routes

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Eileen is aware and somehow puts up with Orwell's regular philandering including his visit to the brothels in Paris. Perhaps best supported by his thoughts of doublethink.

In addition to this Eileen wanted to have children, but she suffers greatly with bleeding, something many will understand with compassion, but without much support from her husband. She also suffers from a lack of self doubt wondering if she is worth the costs and the medical attention she needs.

There are also moments that made me laugh such as when she works at the Ministry of Food during World War II. Through the letters reproduced in several places, which I wished were not written in italics,  a remarkable woman shines through and her life in wifedom. A nice touch are the several photos included of the people and places of importance to Eileen, the no longer hidden wife of George Orwell.

I cannot praise this book highly enough, there are so many aspects to it that it is one that would be interesting to discuss with other readers. Wifedom will definitely be on the list best books of 2023 and re-read later.

Anna Funder is the author of Stasiland and All That I Am - both international bestsellers, published in more than twenty-four countries - and the novella The Girl with the Dogs. Stasiland, hailed as a 'classic', tells true stories of ordinary people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship of East Germany, and of others who worked for the Stasi. In 2004, Stasiland won the UK's premier award for non-fiction, the Samuel Johnson Prize and was a finalist for many other awards. 

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