A review by chirson
Before Mars by Emma Newman

3.0

A gutting and unputdownable book. I found its pacing annoying - the plot twists were simple to guess, and then the book took a while to let the characters catch up, and there was entirely too much padding - but the protagonist is fascinating and the plot makes up for that.

Spoiler

I really appreciated being in Anna's head, and the rare representation Newman includes, even as I found the protagonist difficult and frustrating. I kept being annoyed with her, not for feeling the way she felt, but rather - for seemingly having no awareness of the phenomena she was experiencing. Has she never heard of postpartum depression? It felt strange that certain types of mental health problems were discussed and named in the novel (like dissociation) and Anna, a veteran of mental health care, somehow avoids the diagnosis.
And I felt like it wasn't just Anna but the novel going back and forth on Charlie - is he an abusive monster who sabotaged his fertility meds to get Anna pregnant (a mark of serious abuse!) or just a guy she's not well matched with? I feel like if it's the former, how can he be ever trusted with Mia?

I wish I knew when to expect #5, because I must know what happens next.