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A review by popcayla
Happening by Annie Ernaux
5.0
4.5/5 (rounded up)
“In the sheer impossibility of ever imagining that one day women might be able to abort freely. As was often the case, you couldn’t tell whether abortion was banned because it was wrong or wrong because it was banned. People judged according to the law, they didn’t judge the law.” ― Annie Ernaux (Happening, published in 2000)
This book is a memoir in which she recounts her experience of abortion before it was legal, in 1963 France, when she was a 23-year-old university student. It delves into themes of bodily autonomy, shame, societal judgment, and memory. Absolutely RAW AND POWERFUL!
It’s difficult to describe how deeply this book made me feel. Ernaux captures the crushing isolation, the suffocating fear of judgment, and the weight of a law that turned her body into a crime. Her story is so personal yet so universal, reflecting the struggles that women have faced—and continue to face—when it comes to their rights.
I have so much admiration for her courage in sharing this with the world. Everyone should read this book. This was my first Ernaux, and it was absolutely the right choice. Loved it!!!
“In the sheer impossibility of ever imagining that one day women might be able to abort freely. As was often the case, you couldn’t tell whether abortion was banned because it was wrong or wrong because it was banned. People judged according to the law, they didn’t judge the law.” ― Annie Ernaux (Happening, published in 2000)
This book is a memoir in which she recounts her experience of abortion before it was legal, in 1963 France, when she was a 23-year-old university student. It delves into themes of bodily autonomy, shame, societal judgment, and memory. Absolutely RAW AND POWERFUL!
It’s difficult to describe how deeply this book made me feel. Ernaux captures the crushing isolation, the suffocating fear of judgment, and the weight of a law that turned her body into a crime. Her story is so personal yet so universal, reflecting the struggles that women have faced—and continue to face—when it comes to their rights.
I have so much admiration for her courage in sharing this with the world. Everyone should read this book. This was my first Ernaux, and it was absolutely the right choice. Loved it!!!