happiestwhenreading 's review for:

The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar

4.0

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I went in completely blind on this one...so I had the waves of doubt but also interest...and eventually I kept reading it because there was enough there to keep me going. I don't know that this is a book for everyone - trigger warnings abound! - but I found the meditative writing capturing. The journey to motherhood isn't always over-the-top happy for people and there are various reasons for that. But hormones are a weird thing and they have a wayof complicating our thoughts and feelings. In addition to all of that, Molnar wrote from a female perspective and she really nails some of those thoughts and feelings about being happy a new life is coming, but also reminiscient about the life that will be left behind. In my experience, women give up quite a bit, and Molnar also portrayed that quite well. After the baby is born ("Button"), the protagonist definitely gets thrown into postpartum depression and it's sad to watch her spiral. She gets some help from her husband, but the days feel endless as she has had to give up her job in order to care for her baby. I won't say this book is for everone and I don't see it being very popular, but it hit me at the right time. Now that my kids are 15 and 17, it reminded me of how hard those first few days and weeks really are - especially with the firstborn and you have no idea what parenthood is like. It's a slow novel even though it's only 200 pages, but it gave me so much to contemplate and appreciate about a time that feels so long ago in my own life.