Facets of Femininity

How are women involved in a man's Cold War project?

Facets of Femininity explores many shades of feminine identity. Spanning four generations, this novel follows the intertwining lives of women in a family with the author as they navigate love, loss, ambition, and belonging, that define the feminine spirit.

The tale relives the author's lifetime, beginning on the family farm, at university, working in Canada, investigating the Cold War for a PhD project, working on mining projects in Australia, and as a school science teacher. His parents, his marriage, his ambitious children and grandchildren, display facets that shine.

He has a false start in love and the story is unconventional.

He trades a girlfriend to settle a gambling debt satirically.

He wants to end the Cold War and investigates how the stand-off between the Soviets and the Western Allies could be subverted by devolution and religion at the Berlin Wall. He presents his analysis to possible spy-masters and when the Wall is opened soon afterwards, he speculates that his influence could have had agency.

His wife and daughters are influential in his transition to teaching science and writing books. Their careers stand testimony to the high quality of their femininity.

This is not just a story of women, but a story of humanity, connection, and the enduring power of authenticity. Facets of Femininity celebrates the complexity and resilience of its characters. Their journeys-sometimes tender, sometimes tumultuous-reflect the universal quest of women to define themselves in a world of shifting expectations.