A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

4.0

I had the absolute honor of meeting the author during the Books to Die For Tour. I enjoyed hearing her share the intent of the story, the background of why she wrote it, and then reading the anecdotal stories that made it into the book. If you are pregnant, trying, or struggling to conceive, or deal with infertility, IVF, etc. this might not be the time to read this story. That or make sure you’re in the right headspace to proceed.

This book was unsettling in the best possible way. The protagonist, Anna Alcott is desperate to have a family. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life as an indie actress with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure that never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And worst of all noone around her believes her when she tries explaining that it wasn’t her that left the medicine out or mixed up the appointment times. Noone believes her when she tries explaining the awful things that are happening inside her body, the pain she feels, people following her, or the strange sounds she hears in the house. The story makes the reader suspect just about everyone and everything. Is this all in Anna’s head, or is something sinister really afoot?

I liked Anna and totally sympathized with her sense of frustration.  She was talked over, ignored and generally patronized by virtually everyone around her and it was incredibly aggravating. The commentary in this story is strong. It plays with the idea that while pregnant, our bodies essentially become vessels that we no longer have control over. It leaned a tad slower paced than I expected given the circumstances, but I was constantly compelled to pick it up to find out what was going on.