The Queen's Wife

The Queen’s Wife is a deeply personal account of an unconventional love story that intertwines personal whakapapa with the history of an heirloom chess set . . . So much is folded into this story it is hard to do it justice in a review . . . That the struggle they experienced is still very real and present in homes and families in Aotearoa makes this a necessary read. But Jo Drayton is first and foremost a writer who is interested in story. The drama of her personal life spilling over into her own professional life is artfully played. She is clever and funny, drawing the readers into an intimate account of a patriarchal system yet to be reformed . . . If ever there is a metaphor in this book it is that challenges trigger growth. Drayton has the ability to lay out the board and the players. She has a proven ability to observe and evaluate and she does so with such style and compassion and so much heart.

Liz Eagles, Woman+

The Queen’s Wife is unlike anything I’ve read. Sure, it’s a memoir but it pushes against the normative structures and account of one’s life in a refreshing way – it’s experimental, novel and undeniably queer – perfectly matching its subject matter. Though, when I come to describe what The Queen’s Wife is about, I struggle to do it justice – it’s a love story, an historical epic, a journey through time, a story of identity, whakapapa, heritage, as well as queer and lesbian sexuality – each element like the jewel of a reliquary, each singular and speaking to a whole. Like a game, The Queen’s Wife is also shadowed by moves that threatened to cost Drayton and Marshall their children, family, friends and livelihoods. This is a book that defies a singular description. There are parts that sing out to you and others that quietly reverberate throughout. Embrace it because you’re in for a treat. . . . . The Queen’s Wife will connect and inspire readers in different ways. Some will love the threads of identity and heritage, others will coil themselves into a knot over the court and law accounts, some will stroll through it as if walking through an art gallery – different pieces will draw you in, you will contemplate – and others will feel as if they’ve lumbered through a storm. I fell in love with the intimate game they played and know by heart, so much that I found myself returning to the chapters that recount how they met, the stories that detail their brilliant resourcefulness so as to carve a bit of space, such as the shop front studio they rented to be able to write, make art and have sex – the landlord who heard their moaning and groaning, thinking the building to be haunted. The humour and play pulls readers through the moments that make the heart wince, understanding why it was a game they could not lose.

Demi Cox, Kete

Drayton provides plenty of light relief from the sturm und drang which crashes around most of the pages . . . There is also support from a rich cast of generally colourful and occasionally downright bonkers characters.

Paul Little, North & South

There is much to admire, not least Drayton’s crisp writing style, moments of humour, and bravery in sharing what is at times a harrowing, though never overwrought, account of love and loss. It’s a full and rich feast, even if it takes a while to digest.

Patricia Bell, NZ Booklovers