The Widening of the Womb

Title: The Widening of the Womb and Other Stories
Author: Philomène Luyindula Lasoen
Reviewer: Eva Pollefort
The Widening of the Womb is a beautiful little piece of art that you can carry along like a treasure. Read it slowly, for every word is precious. Despite some gruesome stories you will have read and lived through, you will emerge of it with a sense of blessing, hope, and joy. “The Widening of the Womb and Other Stories”, offers us a beautiful ​

​collection of short stories and pieces of poetry highlighting some characters from the Old Testament, both female and male. The book contains illustrations by Laurie Foucteau, whose skillful drawings are just as poetic and delicate as Philomène’s pen.
I have never read the Bible and I probably never will, yet I understand that what makes this little book so powerful is not just the plot of the stories themselves – which are obviously intertwined by the characters’ family histories, and full of twists and turns and dramatic scenes – but the specific, personal, feminist view of the author on the narrated events and the people at their centre, which she unfolds with great sensitivity.
The book is divided into five parts, each covering a group of themes, like “Mores and Faith”, “War and Peace”, “Power and Vulnerability” and “Beauty and Resilience”, with the shortest and last part of the book speaking “Of Wisdom and Poetry, Our Art and Sharing”.
The themes addressed are inherent to humanity, and so they naturally resonate with our lives in modern times. The stories raise questions, too – sometimes sadly, when it comes to matters like the unequal distribution of power between men and women, and other (systemic) violence against women like rape, forced marriage, or female genital mutilation.
The author is a true story-teller who gets you caught by the suspense in some of these stories and, through her creative mind, gives you an intimate view on what the girls, women, and men she depicts have lived through, what they feared, and what they hoped for. This is true for some powerful or well-known characters – the first coming to mind being Eve –, but Philomène is also giving a voice to the voiceless, to those who are transparent, or marginal : those who are merely mentioned in HIStory and rarely talked about.
As one of the characters puts it: “I know that my story will be found in a sacred book that will turn out to be many things to many people […]. But there, you will not find the story of the conquerors only. Not if you look properly, because I am in it.”
With her short sentences and carefully chosen words, Philomène brings their stories to the point and leads you to the essence of the characters’ heart, mind and soul, rewriting HERstories with a lot of intelligence.
It took me some time to read through these pages, because I had to pause and think and catch my breath when ending one story, before starting to read the next. But despite the violence I was confronted with, Philomène’s faith shines through, as her words are about resilience, strength, courage, and love.
The Widening of the Womb will be available at the Women’s Library once it has reopened in 2021. Meanwhile for details of availability contact philomene.I.I@gmail.com 
e-book: https://www.amazon.fr/Widening-Womb-Other-Stories-English-ebook/dp/B07B8XQQ78
Or see a free sample story: https://www.academia.edu/35872478/The_Mouth_of_Healing