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Still Born

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"Still Born" by Guadalupe Nettel is a nuanced, disciplined, and thoughtful read. It explores motherhood, maternity, female friendships, economic disparity, and inequality in the aforementioned nuanced and thoughtful ways. The writing is sharp, the imagery beautiful, and it flows fluently in Rosalind Harvey's translations. Still Born tackles so much, yet manages to stand out without becoming tiresome. There were parts of the book that engaged in a conversation with "The Nursery" by Szilvia Molnar, which I recently read, about motherhood and the female body. Difficult and tender, beautifully written and translated.

“There is a word to describe someone who loses their spouse, and a word for children who are left without parents. There is no word, however, for a parent who loses their child.”
― Guadalupe Nettel, "Still Born"

4.25/5

Thank you Netgalley/Fitzcarraldo Editions for this book in lieu of an honest review

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This book explores motherhood. The writing is very good. It is enthralling and addictive. A great book

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One of the best books I've read in 2022.

Still Born is a nuanced exploration of motherhood like no other. It delves deep into its many facets, misery and joy and everything in between. Not wanting children, not being able to take care of your child, having a child with disabilities. There are as many definitions of being a mother as there are mothers in the world.
A book that will stay with you, guaranteed.

Excellent writing and translation! I've already purchased this for a friend.

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Still Born is a stunning novel exploring the many facets of motherhood and womanhood. One woman doesn't want to have children but finds herself drawn to looking out for the little boy in the apartment next door. She also has to navigate her complicated relationship with her own mother. Her friend changes her mind about not wanting children but when she gets pregnant there are complications and she has to navigate the fact that the future may not be what she hoped for. I found this to be such a nuanced look at the expectations on women in society and how hard it can be to navigate a path that is different to the accepted norm. I read this book a while ago now but it's a novel that still keeps coming back to me and it feels like one that will stay with me. I've already purchased a physical copy of this book for my shelves and I will re-read it. I highly recommend this one!

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Still Born is at the same time devastatingly tragic and wonderfully uplifting. A story of hope, in the face of overwhelming odds, and of the power of love and friendship.

Laura and Alina are, at the beginning of the novel, both career-oriented women who cannot picture themselves as mothers. As life goes on, Alina's feelings change and, with a lot of help, finally conceives a child. The happiness is short-lived when her unborn daughter is diagnosed with a devastating condition and the distraught parents are warned that the child will not live long after birth.

Meanwhile Laura grows closer to the badly behaved son of her neighbour Doris, becoming increasingly tangled in their life as she learns more about their troubled past and tries to offer as much help and support that she can.

Whilst the two narratives differ in many ways, they both are stories of hope and faith, highlighting the importance of family and friendship in all aspects of life. Though at times this book is sad and will leave you questioning the cruelty of life, it is also an important reminder of how important and powerful love can be in the face of hardship. This novel is a rollercoaster of emotions, and had me on the verge of tears at times, and laughing out loud at others. Despite the triggering nature of some of the themes, this is a book that I would recommend to avid readers everywhere. It is an eye-opening work of fiction, translated beautifully, and I will be recommending this for a long time to come!

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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 delighted <spoiler>when it looked like Laura and Doris might make a life together, I'm really rooting for them</spoiler>.

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.

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This was a great exploration and study of motherhood, from differing perspectives of a new mother, and a woman who does not want to be a mother, and the situations they find themselves in. But really, it is a novel about love and the bonds that we make. Nettel did not shy away from the intricacies and difficulties that surrounds motherhood, and I applaud her for that. It was brutally honest in the best way.

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I’m super late to reviewing this as I wasn’t in the right headspace to read it before but I’m so glad I finally got round to it.

This book mainly follows two women, Laura who decides she never wants to have children and gets her tubes tied, and her best friend Alina who originally also doesn’t want to have children but ends up changing her mind and giving birth to a baby girl with a rare brain condition. We also follow two more women on the sidelines, Alina’s daughters nanny Marlene who helps care for the baby and can’t have children of her own, and Laura’s next door neighbour who is struggling with depression and caring for her own son.

This book explores so many different types of motherhood and caregiving in such a nuanced, complex and brutal way and it was so interesting to see a range of perspectives and reasoning behind wanting, or not wanting, to be a mother in one book.

Definitely a difficult read, but well worth it. Shout out to the translator Rosalind Harvey too because it was brilliantly translated and never felt clunky.

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Still Born is another good publishing choice from Fitzcarraldo. It is not surprising as they publish excellent novels, especially in translation. The novel, translated from Spanish, discusses maternity and the choice not to have children by exploring the life of two women. One decides not to have children and takes extreme measure in that respect, the other one changes her mind and becomes a mother but the child is born with serious health issues. It was a powerful and moving novel.

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This was the Mexican author’s fourth novel; she’s also a magazine director and has published several short story collections. I’d liken it to a cross between Motherhood by Sheila Heti and (the second half of) No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. Thirtysomething friends Laura and Alina veer off in different directions, yet end up finding themselves in similar ethical dilemmas. Laura, who narrates, is adamant that she doesn’t want children, and follows through with sterilization. However, when she becomes enmeshed in a situation with her neighbours – Doris, who’s been left by her abusive husband, and her troubled son Nicolás – she understands some of the emotional burden of motherhood. Even the pigeon nest she watches on her balcony presents a sort of morality play about parenthood.

Meanwhile, Alina and her partner Aurelio embark on infertility treatment. Laura fears losing her friend: “Alina was about to disappear and join the sect of mothers, those creatures with no life of their own who, zombie-like, with huge bags under their eyes, lugged prams around the streets of the city.” They eventually have a daughter, Inés, but learn before her birth that brain defects may cause her to die in infancy or be severely disabled. Right from the start, Alina is conflicted. Will she cling to Inés no matter her condition, or let her go? And with various unhealthy coping mechanisms to hand, will her relationship with Aurelio stay the course?

Laura alternates between her life and her friends’ circumstances, taking on an omniscient voice on Nettel’s behalf – she recounts details she couldn’t possibly be privy to, at least not at the time (there’s a similar strategy in The Group by Lara Feigel). The question of what is fated versus what is chosen, also represented by Laura’s interest in tarot and palm-reading, always appeals to me. This was a wry and sharp commentary on women’s options.

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4.5 rounded down

Another cracker from this indie publisher, I really enjoyed this story about the decision by different women whether or not to have children and of motherhood in its different guises. Two friends take very different paths: one becomes pregnant, the other makes the decision to be sterilised after aborting an accidental pregnancy. This overly simplifies the plot, and the story is supported by a few minor narratives focusing on other mother/child relationships which contributed to the overall narrative but felt distinct in their own right. Highly recommended!

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Still Born
by Guadalupe Nettel
I have a few things the same before I start reviewing this book. Firstly, thanks to the publishers for allowing me to see this book and give you an honest review. Secondly, this book is a Challenging read, which may prove triggering to some readers. It includes descriptions of: difficult familial relationships, childbirth and its difficulties, discussions of the abortion/termination of children, etc.. However, if you feel strong enough to read this challenging book. Then it is well worth the challenge. It is a well-written, emotionally engaging work; which looks at very important issues. It’s another win for Fitzcarraldo.

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This is the most honest book about motherhood I've read so far. It is sad and true. I did not expect much and was overwhelmed in the end

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There is no word, however, for a parent who loses their child. Unlike previous centuries in which child mortality was very high, it’s not normal for this to occur in our time. It is something so feared, so unacceptable, that we have chosen not to name it’.

'Still Born' has been one of my favourite reads this year, I was gripped from the very first chapter, the prose was fluid and easy to get into. Exploring motherhood and maternal instinct, a desire (or not) to become a mother, an unconventional narrative is finally shared with this read. Without giving away spoilers, the story is based in Mexico following the lives of best friends Laura, the protagonist, and Alina. Initially, they both are united in their vision of a child-free life, and after many years spent together, their paths diverge when Laura travels abroad to research for her thesis. On returning home, Alina informs Laura that circumstances have changed for her and she is desperate to conceive.

Themes such as fertility problems, difficult pregnancies, children born with disability, single motherhood, male violence and the impact on subsequent generations and femicide are handled with nuance and these are all complicated and challenging subjects which the author observes in an unsettling and sometimes tender way. I reviewed and re-read so many sentences which were expressed discreetly and yet had such devastating emotional impact.

There are trigger warnings and not every reader will find this book suitable or a comfortable read. It is necessary and I am grateful it exists, I certainly felt seen. I believe it can speak to a majority and, even on a human level, it is relatable and empowering. There was one very random moment towards the end which was unnecessary to the narrative, changing the dimension of one of the relationships which had been established beautifully through the book. It felt out of place and just abrupt otherwise this would have easily been a five-star rating.

Thank you NetGalley and Fitzcarraldo Editions for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel is a novel about maternity and motherhood in its different forms and choices about whether to have children.

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This book cured my reading slump I’ve been this past couple of weeks. A really powerful and poignant study of motherhood, disability and feminism which I devoured in 2 days. It would be a 5* however I did think it felt a bit too factual and distant in places, which may be a translational issue, I am not sure, but I’d still really recommend this.

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Gently and softly told.

Nettel does not shy away from hard topics. She enters them softly and leaves them softly but the impact remains. She cradles several aspects of motherhood and so very gently weaves a hard story tackling:

becoming a mother and leaving freedom behind;
not becoming a mother;
dealing with a difficult child;
preparing for the death of a child;
dealing with depression while still taking care of your child;
becoming a mother to another's child;
accepting your mother when you become an adult.

Through all these Nettle weaves through showing different sides of the coin, showing the persons beneath, the 'mothers' and the 'children'.

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At the heart of this emotionally compelling novel is the dilemma faced today by many independent career women – whether or not to have children. Alina and Laura are close friends but each makes a different decision, and each has to face the consequences of that decision. Set in Mexico City but universally applicable, it’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of motherhood, insightful and empathetic, never predictable and sensitively written. It ended rather abruptly and I found that jarring, as up to that point it had been a solid 5* novel. However, that proviso apart, this is a book I highly recommend.

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Still Born is Guadalupe Nettel’s fourth novel, but it is the first one I have read. I will be seeking out more of Nettel’s work; I devoured this novel in little over a day.

The book tells the story of two close friends, Laura and Alina, who are initially united in their belief that parenthood is to be avoided and that there is no worse fate than to become one of the hordes of ‘zombie-like mothers’ they see around them.

The friends drift apart for a while as Laura concentrates on working on her thesis, and Alina settles into a relationship and domesticity with her partner Aurelio. When they meet again, Laura’s perspective remains set in stone, while Alina now wants more than anything a baby.

What follows is a complicated journey from pregnancy to new life, during which both Alina and Laura’s views on parenthood are tested to the extreme as life throws complications at them that they could never have envisaged.

Alongside the complicated pregnancy storyline, Laura befriends her neighbour, a bereaved single mother struggling with her troubled son. Laura acknowledges her own fraught maternal instincts, and these encounters with her next-door neighbours further force her to question her conceptions of mothering.

Nettel handles all sides of the argument with delicacy and insight, with her writing being subtle, sharp, and with an almost omniscient clarity. Given that Laura narrates and Alina's narrative is in the third person, there’s a detachment to
the narrative that belies the depth of emotion in Nettel’s language and linguistic skill.

This book is not an easy read and could be triggering for some. The decisions made are never straightforward. But this novel is vital in its emphasis on the right for people to make their own choices about their own bodies; after recent events in America, this feels more important than ever.

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I loved this book.

It was sad, it was fascinating and most importantly, it made me think.

Not at all what I expected which was part of why I loved it.

4 stars

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