Louise Omer was a Pentecostal preacher and faithful wife. But when her marriage crumbled, so did her beliefs.

Haunted by questions about what it means to be female in a religion that worships a male God, she left behind a church and home to ask women around the world- how can we exist in patriarchal religion? And can a woman be holy?

With $500 in her pocket and the conviction that she was following a divine path, Louise began a pilgrimage that has taken her to Mexican basilicas, Swedish cathedrals, Bulgarian mountains, and Moroccan mosques. Holy Woman combines travel writing, feminist theology, and confessional memoir to interrogate modern religion and give a raw and personal exploration of spiritual life under patriarchy.



‘Omer leads by example, showing us how to re-imagine heroism, grace, and redemption – above all, in our own lives. A vital story, so powerfully written.’
-Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner and The Believer

‘Holy Woman is a delight. Raw, honest, and probing, at times furious, Omer’s journey toward the feminine divine is one that both entertains and inspires.’
-Monica Dux, author of Lapsed

‘Holy Woman is an accomplished work of narrative nonfiction that does what the best memoirs should, in using personal experience and reflection as a springboard for an in-depth interrogation of society and culture. It’s an intelligent and fiercely felt piece of writing that urges readers to think deeply, and to find their own ways to be holy, whatever that might look like.’
-Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Sydney Morning Herald

Louise Omer is a writer born on Kaurna Country with essays, criticism, and poetry published in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, The Lifted Brow, and more. Beyond Australia, she has lived in Scotland and Ireland, and has a heart connection to many lands, seas, and people.