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A review by lenabrary
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oh, what a beautiful book.
Still born is the first book by Nettel I've read but it most certainly won't be the last. Set in Mexico City, with flashbacks to other places around the world the characters visited, this novel is a quiet revolution. Dealing with the topic of becoming a mother - childless, child-free, childful - from the point of view of two characters, Alina and Laura. They take different paths in their lives, make different choices but what really stood out for me was the relationship they had to one another, the way they supported each other through their lives.
Alina decides she wants to have a child and together with her husband Aurelio they start trying to conceive. This is a shock to Laura, who was sure Alina would remain child-free, like both of them said they always would. Laura feels abandoned by her friend but stands by her and helps through the difficult pregnancy that Alina goes through.
What this novel does is explore motherhood from different perspectives - Alina's, the biological mother's; Laura's, the stumbled upon motherhood by helping out her neighbour's son; Doris', the neighbour who is healing from an abusive relationship; Marlene's, the nanny who can't have her own kids; other characters who were mentioned. There was no judgement on any of the mothers, simply an exploration of how they cope, manage, how they love and live. I found this to be very refreshing.
This novel also shows the experience of having a severely disabled child, and does so with grace and compassion. Be warned, as it does get heavy.
And the ending! I was so delightedwhen it looked like Laura and Doris might make a life together, I'm really rooting for them .
Definitely pick this up if you're interested in reading about motherhood, feminism, women's lives.
The translation by Rosalind Harvey is fantastic, I'm looking forward to reading her other translations.
Thank you to Fitzcarraldo, NetGalley UK and Guadelupe Nettel for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Still born is the first book by Nettel I've read but it most certainly won't be the last. Set in Mexico City, with flashbacks to other places around the world the characters visited, this novel is a quiet revolution. Dealing with the topic of becoming a mother - childless, child-free, childful - from the point of view of two characters, Alina and Laura. They take different paths in their lives, make different choices but what really stood out for me was the relationship they had to one another, the way they supported each other through their lives.
Alina decides she wants to have a child and together with her husband Aurelio they start trying to conceive. This is a shock to Laura, who was sure Alina would remain child-free, like both of them said they always would. Laura feels abandoned by her friend but stands by her and helps through the difficult pregnancy that Alina goes through.
What this novel does is explore motherhood from different perspectives - Alina's, the biological mother's; Laura's, the stumbled upon motherhood by helping out her neighbour's son; Doris', the neighbour who is healing from an abusive relationship; Marlene's, the nanny who can't have her own kids; other characters who were mentioned. There was no judgement on any of the mothers, simply an exploration of how they cope, manage, how they love and live. I found this to be very refreshing.
This novel also shows the experience of having a severely disabled child, and does so with grace and compassion. Be warned, as it does get heavy.
And the ending! I was so delighted
Definitely pick this up if you're interested in reading about motherhood, feminism, women's lives.
The translation by Rosalind Harvey is fantastic, I'm looking forward to reading her other translations.
Thank you to Fitzcarraldo, NetGalley UK and Guadelupe Nettel for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.