Review: The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen

An interesting collection of case studies, but an unconvincing book.

I was excited to pick up Rhaina Cohen's The Other Significant Others because I am very interested in de-centering romance and the institution of marriage in our society. And while this book covers many interesting anecdotes within that topic, it provides little to no analysis.

I found myself entertained by these unconventional family structures, but each chapter is completely disjointed from the rest. There is no academic research done to tie them together, no underlying thesis to argue why these structures are important (besides quoting the subjects of the anecdote). A few moments cite how laws have changed over time, or a singular quote is pulled from another text, but nothing beyond that.

On a personal note, I also wish this book discussed prioritizing friendship in our lives in general, not creating alternate versions of partnership (such as platonic). Because ultimately, that is still centering partnership, which is kind of the opposite of what I was seeking to read about. That's not necessarily the book's fault, but the way its pitch is framed.

Overall, this isn't a book, it's a podcast. And because of that, the audiobook is great! If you're interested in alternative forms of family and partnership, this book might be for you. If you expect this book to be about prioritizing your friends as you age, this misses the mark.