Cringey Love Story About 'Soulmates' Inspires Ridicule From the Internet

When I was a tween I read a lot of fanfiction. Most of it was about the bands I loved (For example, the Strokes) making “romantic” connections with other bands of the era (such as the Vines). None of it could be called good writing. Most of it tried too hard, adding cringey descriptions to physical features or facial expressions. Until this week, I had yet to read something quite as terrible. On Monday, an article from the Sydney Morning Herald changed that. I can officially say that it was one of the worst pieces of writing I've ever indulged in - and based on my past, that's saying a lot. 

The piece came to my attention when Twitter user @marrowing shared the piece with her followers. 

Let's just say her caption left me intrigued. “I met my soulmate and ended my 14-year marriage” is pretty intriguing, too. So I clicked. It turns out the article, which is actually an excerpt from a memoir - was more than I'd bargained for. 

“I wasn’t expecting a formal dinner with cheerful conference attendees in the beautiful West Australian town of Margaret River to turn my life upside down. I had a good life. I wasn’t looking to upend it – or was I?” 

The story goes on to describe the author's dull marriage, something she hoped to spice up by attending a three day conference with her husband. Because there's nothing more romantic than a three day conference. I digress. At the conference, the author winds up having dinner with another couple - and forming an attraction to its male half, Jason. She says she's met him before, but never elaborates. Okay. Over the course of the excerpt, the author recounts the electricity of their connection, in painstaking detail - much to our chagrin. Nary a word is written about their respective significant others - instead we're forced to endure cringey, self-indulgent descriptions of their attraction. 

The excerpt ends with the author revealing that she ended her marriage soon after the conference. And then, there it is. Punctuating the entire mess. 

“Edited extract from When a Soulmate Says No (Pepper Press/Fair Play Publishing) by Amanda Trenfield, in stores May 2.”

That's right - wherever this arduous read is going, it's not in the author's favor. And judging by the response to the excerpt and book, neither is her foray into publishing. The palpable cringe of the story, which quickly went viral on Twitter, has since been discussed by publications such as Jezebel, Gawker, and the Advertiser. The articles and the people of Twitter seem to agree: It's probably a bad idea to leave your husband because you felt an attraction to someone else. The Jezebel article even interviews psychologists regarding the entire concept of “soulmates” or “twin flames.” Spoiler alert: it's not a healthy way to look at relationships. Though we do enjoy the input from mental health professionals, we enjoy watching people tear Trenfield's terrible writing and destructive actions to shred. Here's what the critics of the Internet had to say: