Diksha Sundriyal
In Starz’s ‘Three Women,’ Gia Lombardi (Shailene Woodley) travels across the country to meet three women whose stories she weaves into a book that changes her life. One of the subjects of her book is a housewife from Indiana named Lina Parish (Betty Gilpin). Lina is stuck in an unhappy, sexless marriage with a husband who is disgusted at the idea of kissing on the mouth. This puts a huge distance between the couple, leaving Lina starved for love and attention, which she then seeks elsewhere. The story also focuses on other aspects of her life, each of which sheds light on very realistic struggles of women.
Lina Parish is the Pseudonym for the Real Subject of Three Women
‘Three Women’ is based on the book of the same name by Lisa Taddeo, who spent eight years researching the lives of women across America. While she cast a wide net in her search, the first person she felt she could write about was a woman she met after moving to Bloomington, Indiana. The author’s intention was to be close to the Kinsey Institute in the hopes of landing a worthy subject. She’d put up flyers around the city, and a doctor answered her call, introducing her to a discussion group of women. This is where Taddeo came across a woman who talked about her fraught marriage due to her husband’s refusal to kiss her and her affair with her high school sweetheart, with whom she had recently reconnected on Facebook. Taddeo gave her the pseudonym “Lina Parish” to protect her identity.
Taddeo spent several years in Indiana, two of which she spent with Lina, spending time with her almost every day. Because the latter didn’t have anyone else to talk to, she was very open with Taddeo and told her almost everything in real time. The reason behind this was the writer not being judgmental about her feelings and desires, which Lina would be crucified for within her community. Through their conversations, the author discovered that Aidan, Lina’s lover, was also married and had an arrangement with Lina that was more convenient to him than her.
Taddeo revealed that Lina would sometimes drive for hours to have only 30 minutes with Aidan, and there were times when he wouldn’t even show up. Sometimes, she would accompany Lina to the river, where she would meet Aidan and watch her taking selfies, changing into different sets of clothes for each picture. At one point, Taddeo even followed Lina when she met Aidan, though the author kept her distance. They also went shopping, to bars and restaurants, and even worked out together. Taddeo was made familiar with every aspect of Lina’s life and was even invited to her home.
Lisa Taddeo Developed a Close Bond With Lina
Spending years with someone and becoming their closest confidante about something life-changing that they cannot discuss with anyone else is meant to bring people closer. Taddeo found the same connection with Lina, even though the author tried to keep an objective distance so as not to affect her subject’s decision-making. There were times when Lina would ask for her advice on a matter, but Taddeo had to tread carefully. She would often just listen to Lina or talk to her about her own life and experiences, which created a deep bond between the women.
Taddeo revealed that there were some instances she skipped from the book because they felt too personal or dark to be put in front of the whole world. She described one of those instances when Lina found herself on the brink of losing her sanity. It had been a couple of weeks since she last heard from Aidan, and she had a bout of intense emotion that made her feel like she was drowning. She was frying an egg at the moment and her young son was nagging at her for attention, and not being able to tend her children the way they deserved made Lina feel utterly miserable. When she shared this feeling with Taddeo, the latter showed up at her place to keep her company, worried that Lina might do something bad.
Lisa Taddeo and Lina Parish Continue to Cherish Their Friendship
Things like these show how close Taddeo and Lina got in the several years they spent together. Taddeo revealed that she is still in touch with Lina. They talked when the book was picked up to be adapted for television, with Taddeo keeping her up to date about everything. One of the reasons the author didn’t include this and other similar instances in the book is that she didn’t want the readers to pass a harsh judgment on Lina for being a bad mother without understanding the pain that she was experiencing.
It is also why she chose to use an alias and not her real name because she worried about people invading Lina’s privacy and condemning her for her choices, which was the exact opposite of Taddeo’s intention regarding the story. She wanted people to be sympathetic and understanding toward Lina and women like her who silently go through the pain of loneliness and the repression of their desires to conform to society’s standards, depriving themselves of the love and attention they deserve.
Read More: Three Women: Exploring All Filming Locations of the Starz Show
