sonia_reppe's review against another edition
5.0
Sonia is 35 and horrified to be pregnant again, just as she was feeling like herself again, two years after her last pregnancy. Her two boys still young but not babies anymore, she and her husband have just started romancing again (this book uses the F word) and now this!
This is one of the most realistic books about "motherhood" that I've read, because it's not really about that, it's about a woman from Brooklyn who feels trapped even though she loves her husband. The writing is in-your-face honest and somewhat edgy. Different philosophies are personified by people that Sonia has to deal with: her Conneticut-bound friend who places high importance on getting her kids in the "right" preschool; a sister in Colorado who distains city life, whose husband and son go out hunting together; an ex-professor/ex-lover who lives for his art and arrogantly tells Sonia that motherhood kills her artistic soul and that she belongs in front of a TV, humped over a stove and that her life is a lie.
Sonia has panic attacks and one day after dropping her two boys off at preschool she just drives away on a spontaneous trip. Of coure this is horrible and she knows it. She decides to revisit some places and people from her days of youth, and a lot has changed. Most readers will not like Sonia, but I hope they appreciate the honesty. I was interested in her journey, especially because I'm also 35 and I think in all seriousness I would get depressed and crazy if I got pregnant now. (That first year was awful!) This is realistic, but also a fantasy for any mother of young kids that dreams of getting away.
This is one of the most realistic books about "motherhood" that I've read, because it's not really about that, it's about a woman from Brooklyn who feels trapped even though she loves her husband. The writing is in-your-face honest and somewhat edgy. Different philosophies are personified by people that Sonia has to deal with: her Conneticut-bound friend who places high importance on getting her kids in the "right" preschool; a sister in Colorado who distains city life, whose husband and son go out hunting together; an ex-professor/ex-lover who lives for his art and arrogantly tells Sonia that motherhood kills her artistic soul and that she belongs in front of a TV, humped over a stove and that her life is a lie.
Sonia has panic attacks and one day after dropping her two boys off at preschool she just drives away on a spontaneous trip. Of coure this is horrible and she knows it. She decides to revisit some places and people from her days of youth, and a lot has changed. Most readers will not like Sonia, but I hope they appreciate the honesty. I was interested in her journey, especially because I'm also 35 and I think in all seriousness I would get depressed and crazy if I got pregnant now. (That first year was awful!) This is realistic, but also a fantasy for any mother of young kids that dreams of getting away.
tracyt55's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
shelleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
Nine Months is an audacious novel that explores the difficult journey of a woman who is struggling to balance her need for individuality with motherhood. Sonia was relieved to find that mothering was becoming a little easier as her two young sons began to gain independence. However her dreams of reclaiming the ambitions she held before their birth is shattered when she discovers she is pregnant again. Ruling out an abortion, Sonia attempts to reconcile the impending birth with her feelings of loss and frustration but as her due date draws closer, the temptation to escape the pressure proves too strong. Abandoning her husband and children, Sonia withdraws the family's savings and sets off on a wild cross country road trip in search of the woman she once was.
Self absorbed, petty and vulgar it's easy to judge Sonia for her impetuous actions. However, I think there are very few mothers, who in those first hellish months of motherhood, have not fleetingly thought about escaping their infants incessant demands or at least briefly mourned the carefree, autonomous life they led before parenthood. Bomer magnifies those doubts and longings, giving her character permission to both feel and act on them without censoring herself. Sonia's wild escape is response to depression, desperation and frustration, though of course she can't leave behind the child in her womb. Instead she does her best to pretend it is either not there or somehow separate from her.
It's worth noting that Sonia's debauchery only consists of a handful of incidents. She indulges in only one anonymous sex encounter and just two hits off a joint, though she drinks (mainly beer) fairly freely. However these single acts are enough to likely condemn her in popular opinion, even by those who may have sympathised with her need to escape. Neither is Sonia all 'bad', there are moments of ambivalence and reflection that stir empathy and allow the reader to glimpse her less hormone crazed identity.
While it seems likely to me that Sonia is suffering from severe pre partum depression (which affects 10-15% of women), particularly since its is noted that in her previous pregnancies she experienced strong mood swings and high anxiety, there are no clear signs that Bomer wrote Sonia with that affliction at her core. Perhaps it is simply wishful thinking on my part, since I do find Sonia's behaviour repugnant in the main, though I am not without empathy for her.
The first person point of view of Nine Months is immediate and raw. Descriptions are often crude and those offended by explicit content and language will want to steer clear of this novel. The pace is surprisingly brisk, I didn't want to put it down, engrossed by Sonia's emotional journey.
Confronting, seditious and original Nine Months is a compelling novel. I expect opinions of the novel will be divisive among its readership. Personally, I think Bomer is brave in exposing a rarely acknowledged aspect of pregnancy and motherhood.
Self absorbed, petty and vulgar it's easy to judge Sonia for her impetuous actions. However, I think there are very few mothers, who in those first hellish months of motherhood, have not fleetingly thought about escaping their infants incessant demands or at least briefly mourned the carefree, autonomous life they led before parenthood. Bomer magnifies those doubts and longings, giving her character permission to both feel and act on them without censoring herself. Sonia's wild escape is response to depression, desperation and frustration, though of course she can't leave behind the child in her womb. Instead she does her best to pretend it is either not there or somehow separate from her.
It's worth noting that Sonia's debauchery only consists of a handful of incidents. She indulges in only one anonymous sex encounter and just two hits off a joint, though she drinks (mainly beer) fairly freely. However these single acts are enough to likely condemn her in popular opinion, even by those who may have sympathised with her need to escape. Neither is Sonia all 'bad', there are moments of ambivalence and reflection that stir empathy and allow the reader to glimpse her less hormone crazed identity.
While it seems likely to me that Sonia is suffering from severe pre partum depression (which affects 10-15% of women), particularly since its is noted that in her previous pregnancies she experienced strong mood swings and high anxiety, there are no clear signs that Bomer wrote Sonia with that affliction at her core. Perhaps it is simply wishful thinking on my part, since I do find Sonia's behaviour repugnant in the main, though I am not without empathy for her.
The first person point of view of Nine Months is immediate and raw. Descriptions are often crude and those offended by explicit content and language will want to steer clear of this novel. The pace is surprisingly brisk, I didn't want to put it down, engrossed by Sonia's emotional journey.
Confronting, seditious and original Nine Months is a compelling novel. I expect opinions of the novel will be divisive among its readership. Personally, I think Bomer is brave in exposing a rarely acknowledged aspect of pregnancy and motherhood.
showlola's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't perfect, but it would make for a hell of a discussion.
Its the story of a married mother who gets unexpectedly pregnant, goes a little bit crazy, and then runs away. Its also one of the most unflinching and honest novels about pregnancy I've ever read.
Sonia encounters incredibly common and natural feelings and continues to turn the wrong way into them, time after time. She is introspective and narcissistic, and has very little empathy for anyone around her. After the halfway point (and this book is pretty short) it functions as a road trip novel, with short vignettes about very different kinds of people from Sonia's past and the different life choices they made. It gets a little bit didactic in those bits, with wooden dialogue and fast transitions, but I still liked it.
Super, addictively readable with lots to chew on. Anybody that loved Bad Marie or the Charlize Theron film, Young Adult, could really get into this.
Its the story of a married mother who gets unexpectedly pregnant, goes a little bit crazy, and then runs away. Its also one of the most unflinching and honest novels about pregnancy I've ever read.
Sonia encounters incredibly common and natural feelings and continues to turn the wrong way into them, time after time. She is introspective and narcissistic, and has very little empathy for anyone around her. After the halfway point (and this book is pretty short) it functions as a road trip novel, with short vignettes about very different kinds of people from Sonia's past and the different life choices they made. It gets a little bit didactic in those bits, with wooden dialogue and fast transitions, but I still liked it.
Super, addictively readable with lots to chew on. Anybody that loved Bad Marie or the Charlize Theron film, Young Adult, could really get into this.
nomadreader's review against another edition
5.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The basics: Nine Months is the story of Brooklyn wife and mom of two Sonia, who finds herself unintentionally and unhappily pregnant with number three. With frustration mounting, Sonia takes off on a cross-country trip alone--and does so many things pregnant women aren't supposed to do.
My thoughts: I've been saving Nine Months to read until I was very, very pregnant. I'm so glad I did because it was fun to live vicariously through Sonia. I'm happily pregnant, of course, but I also really dislike being pregnant. The thought of being pregnant again--ever--terrifies me. I can relate to Sonia's feeling of helplessness, but as real as it is, this novel is also escapist fun. It's fantasy that's firmly planted in reality:
Through her marriage and her children, Sonia has lost something of herself. She's been looking forward to having her youngest in school so she can (finally) return to her art. Another child would hinder those plans; it would also mean their already cramped Brooklyn two-bedroom apartment would become impossible to live in.
There's a rawness and an honesty to both Sonia and Bomer's writing that I loved: "Not for the first time, she hates the fact that she is raising her kids in New York, where people treat their children like a combination between a science and an art project." This novel is wickedly funny in a way that isn't necessarily socially acceptable. It's dark and comical, but it's also firmly grounded in reality:
The situations Sonia encounters are real, and perhaps her actions are too. For me? I wouldn't have the guts to act as recklessly as she does.
Favorite passage: "And as much as she feared being a minority in Kensington, she fears even more being literally stranded among people who are supposedly just like her. She’s never felt that anyone was just like her, regardless of skin color or money—it’s just not a dream she could ever buy into. It doesn’t ring any bell for her."
The verdict: I adored Nine Months as much for Sonia's illicit adventures as I did for Bomer's writing. It's a brave novel, and the combination of literary escape and social commentary is a winning one.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The basics: Nine Months is the story of Brooklyn wife and mom of two Sonia, who finds herself unintentionally and unhappily pregnant with number three. With frustration mounting, Sonia takes off on a cross-country trip alone--and does so many things pregnant women aren't supposed to do.
My thoughts: I've been saving Nine Months to read until I was very, very pregnant. I'm so glad I did because it was fun to live vicariously through Sonia. I'm happily pregnant, of course, but I also really dislike being pregnant. The thought of being pregnant again--ever--terrifies me. I can relate to Sonia's feeling of helplessness, but as real as it is, this novel is also escapist fun. It's fantasy that's firmly planted in reality:
""You’re pregnant. You’re doing a great job. I know it’s hard.” “You don’t know how hard it is. And I’m not doing a ‘great job.’ I haven’t done anything, except fuck you. This is happening to me, don’t you understand? I have nothing to do with it. It’s taking over me. It’s taking over my body and my soul, for God’s sake, like some parasite, like some alien virus.” Tears come to her eyes."
Through her marriage and her children, Sonia has lost something of herself. She's been looking forward to having her youngest in school so she can (finally) return to her art. Another child would hinder those plans; it would also mean their already cramped Brooklyn two-bedroom apartment would become impossible to live in.
There's a rawness and an honesty to both Sonia and Bomer's writing that I loved: "Not for the first time, she hates the fact that she is raising her kids in New York, where people treat their children like a combination between a science and an art project." This novel is wickedly funny in a way that isn't necessarily socially acceptable. It's dark and comical, but it's also firmly grounded in reality:
"The baby’s mouth roots around like a baby bird, unable to grasp on. So Sonia squeezes her nipple and colostrum comes out and the infant’s lips touch the pre-milk milk and then, it works—the baby tries to suck. First slowly, and then, as if something in her wired-for-survival brain clicks, she ferociously latches on to Sonia’s nipple and sucks on her like that’s what she’s been put on this earth to do. Which is, in fact, true. Her daughter is here to suck the life out of her, and leave her for the spent, middle-aged woman she soon will be."
The situations Sonia encounters are real, and perhaps her actions are too. For me? I wouldn't have the guts to act as recklessly as she does.
Favorite passage: "And as much as she feared being a minority in Kensington, she fears even more being literally stranded among people who are supposedly just like her. She’s never felt that anyone was just like her, regardless of skin color or money—it’s just not a dream she could ever buy into. It doesn’t ring any bell for her."
The verdict: I adored Nine Months as much for Sonia's illicit adventures as I did for Bomer's writing. It's a brave novel, and the combination of literary escape and social commentary is a winning one.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
anlekaha's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise and some lines were definitely the kind of truths you keep to yourself because you are embarrassed of how others would judge them. But most of the characters are nuts so conversation with them (which is all the book is) feels pointless. Also gratuitous sex and language
djinnmartini's review against another edition
4.0
This was much better than her latest, for me at least. I'm trying to decide if it was the fault of the audiobook narrator.
...Also people say not to read this while pregnant but I feel like I came out unscathed.
...Also people say not to read this while pregnant but I feel like I came out unscathed.
waitalienat's review against another edition
1.0
So, let me start off by clarifying something: I am not a mother. I can't make any claims whatsoever about how difficult pregnancy is and about how babies suck the life out of you. I can't.
However, I am a daughter, I'm about to turn 19 and I have a mother who shares more secrets and thoughts with me than I care to admit to the public. She's never lied to me about how hard motherhood is, she's never embellished her thoughts about pregnancy and adulthood for my own sake and, what's more, I know that she would never leave her children and go on a fucking road trip across the United Kingdom simply because she might, at some point in her life, feel depressed.
And I'm not saying this because I'm some silly teenager who lies to herself and tries to cover her eyes when she's supposed to face the harsh truths of life.
No, I'm saying this because I have the incredible luck of looking up to a good mother, a woman who has had her fair share of troubles in her life, who has gone through two pregnancies, who has had to make sacrifices and give up habits for the sake of family life, but she's also a woman who would never question, or even regret, the choices that have led her to be the person that she is now. Giving birth is not easy and, let's admit it, it's not for everyone. But once a woman decides to go on, rather than interrupting her pregnancy, then she doesn't have a choice but to take responsibility for the decision that she's made.
And the main character of [b:Nine Months|13517120|Nine Months|Paula Bomer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359951378s/13517120.jpg|19074946] royally fails at that.
I have never encountered a character as unpleasant, irresponsible, childish and immature as Paula Bomer's Sonia. Into her late thirties, she's a woman who suddenly decides to pack her things, leave her husband and two little children and embark on a journey across America, having sex with random strangers, gulping down beer and getting high on weed.
Now, I wouldn't normally criticise this sort of reaction. I get it, unexpected pregnancy - if not pregnancy, in general - can really hit you in the guts and make you think through everything you've done up to that point with your life. You might be crushed under the weight of regret for all the things that you could have done but didn't, for all the possibilities that only come once in your life and that, now that you're about to give birth to a new human being, probably will never come again. As I've said, I get it.
What I don't get, however, is the fact that such a reaction should come from a thirty something year old woman, a mother of two little children, who has previously experienced pregnancy and who should by now be aware of the risks brought about by unprotected sex!
I mean, seriously, cut the crap and behave like a grown up, Sonia.
"And what's wrong with Sonia anyway, wanting to go out to bars at night? A married woman? Why would she want to do that?
Because she does. Because she just fucking does. She misses bars. She loved bartending. It was something, besides painting, that's she was good at."
Well, what's preventing you from painting? What's keeping you from pursuing your passions?
Having to take care of children is a big, a huge responsibility, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to annihilate you! You can be a good mother and have your exhibitions all at the same time!
I really tried to sympathise with Sonia, I tried so hard.
I tried to understand her anger and her frustration, only to end up becoming angry and frustrated myself.
You see, what I'm trying to get across here is that methods of contraception exist, they are there for us to use them. And I'm not against abortion, because I fully agree with the idea that a woman is the sole owner of her body and that she should do whatever she wants to do with it.
But, dear Sonia, once you decide to keep the baby, you have to be aware of the responsibilities and the duties that come with such a decision, including the fact that you should stay the hell away from alcohol and drugs! Her road trip did not make me sympathise with her issues in the least.
Rather than a depressed pregnant woman, Sonia feels more like an angsty teenager craving for attention and going from one extreme to the other, drinking beer and smoking weed, because she simply, fucking can!
However, I am a daughter, I'm about to turn 19 and I have a mother who shares more secrets and thoughts with me than I care to admit to the public. She's never lied to me about how hard motherhood is, she's never embellished her thoughts about pregnancy and adulthood for my own sake and, what's more, I know that she would never leave her children and go on a fucking road trip across the United Kingdom simply because she might, at some point in her life, feel depressed.
And I'm not saying this because I'm some silly teenager who lies to herself and tries to cover her eyes when she's supposed to face the harsh truths of life.
No, I'm saying this because I have the incredible luck of looking up to a good mother, a woman who has had her fair share of troubles in her life, who has gone through two pregnancies, who has had to make sacrifices and give up habits for the sake of family life, but she's also a woman who would never question, or even regret, the choices that have led her to be the person that she is now. Giving birth is not easy and, let's admit it, it's not for everyone. But once a woman decides to go on, rather than interrupting her pregnancy, then she doesn't have a choice but to take responsibility for the decision that she's made.
And the main character of [b:Nine Months|13517120|Nine Months|Paula Bomer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359951378s/13517120.jpg|19074946] royally fails at that.
I have never encountered a character as unpleasant, irresponsible, childish and immature as Paula Bomer's Sonia. Into her late thirties, she's a woman who suddenly decides to pack her things, leave her husband and two little children and embark on a journey across America, having sex with random strangers, gulping down beer and getting high on weed.
Now, I wouldn't normally criticise this sort of reaction. I get it, unexpected pregnancy - if not pregnancy, in general - can really hit you in the guts and make you think through everything you've done up to that point with your life. You might be crushed under the weight of regret for all the things that you could have done but didn't, for all the possibilities that only come once in your life and that, now that you're about to give birth to a new human being, probably will never come again. As I've said, I get it.
What I don't get, however, is the fact that such a reaction should come from a thirty something year old woman, a mother of two little children, who has previously experienced pregnancy and who should by now be aware of the risks brought about by unprotected sex!
I mean, seriously, cut the crap and behave like a grown up, Sonia.
"And what's wrong with Sonia anyway, wanting to go out to bars at night? A married woman? Why would she want to do that?
Because she does. Because she just fucking does. She misses bars. She loved bartending. It was something, besides painting, that's she was good at."
Well, what's preventing you from painting? What's keeping you from pursuing your passions?
Having to take care of children is a big, a huge responsibility, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to annihilate you! You can be a good mother and have your exhibitions all at the same time!
I really tried to sympathise with Sonia, I tried so hard.
I tried to understand her anger and her frustration, only to end up becoming angry and frustrated myself.
You see, what I'm trying to get across here is that methods of contraception exist, they are there for us to use them. And I'm not against abortion, because I fully agree with the idea that a woman is the sole owner of her body and that she should do whatever she wants to do with it.
But, dear Sonia, once you decide to keep the baby, you have to be aware of the responsibilities and the duties that come with such a decision, including the fact that you should stay the hell away from alcohol and drugs! Her road trip did not make me sympathise with her issues in the least.
Rather than a depressed pregnant woman, Sonia feels more like an angsty teenager craving for attention and going from one extreme to the other, drinking beer and smoking weed, because she simply, fucking can!
melanie_page's review against another edition
4.0
In Nine Months, a novel that begins at the end then takes us back to show how we got there, Paula Bomer puts her naughty nature as a writer up front. In the first paragraph alone, be prepared to read words like "bloated," "ripped and torn," and "yellowish-green umbilical cord." She puts "placenta" and "hurdles" in the same sentence. Of course, she wouldn't be Paula Bomer if she didn't. Or, maybe you won't be prepared for Nine Months, the novelization of the anti-mother, because you haven't read Bomer's collection Baby.
Meet Sonia, the lady who is married and pregnant (again—how inconvenient!) just when her two boys are getting out of diapers. Just when Sonia is about ready to take up painting again, like she did in college. Back when she used to sleep with her professors. Back when she was "someone." If Nine Months had a thesis, I dare suggest the book argues children make you old and no fun (fun is for individuals). Sonia's personality was so divided to me: one minute she's hugging her kids, the next minute she's giving them the stink eye. What does this mean? Is there no coinciding between mother and child? Must it be love or hate and never "you exist and I appreciate that, but I'm going to work you into my life, not make you my life"—Sonia doesn't seem to think so. Because Sonia is so flip-floppy in her attitude toward motherhood, you either love or hate her (just check the Goodread scores!).
But Bomer's book, both disgusting (hemorrhoids!) and funny (ahhh, masterbation), points out some deeply ingrained societal issues. Another mother ("educated, white, middle-class") points out that her youngest kid, a girl, "helps me pick up after the boys. She's just a baby, but she knows how to pick up. My boys don't, of course." Have these boy children no sense of self-pride? Sonia's friend tries to put Sonia's unexpected/unwanted pregnancy into a better light, suggesting this baby might be a girl: "Everyone needs a daughter...Who's going to take care of you when you get old? Your sons? I don't think so." Girls and woman: maids, wombs, sex providers. After giving her husband a blow job, he returns the favor to Sonia in the morning by picking up and making breakfast. "Why is this special," she asks, "Why don't you give me your best shot every morning? Why don't you feel any obligation around here? All I can say is, I'm never sucking your fucking dick again. You got that? Never." The points Bomer makes about expected gender divides are made clear without sounding preachy. Honest dialogue comes from Sonia on these topics, even when she sounds "bitchy." Sonia tries to figure out what it means to be a mother through her interactions with others, and everyone seems to lean toward female = self-sacrifice (whether a mother or not).
I'm sure other book reviews will describe how Sonia flees her family and goes on a road trip, ingesting drugs and having unprotected sex at a rest stop. But I think focusing on the fringe behaviors misses the big picture of the story. It's a rambunctious book, one that wants to cover a lot, but if you're only reading to find out how "naughty" Sonia is and how her husband will react/punish her (or how the reader would condemn her), then Nine Months will end on an empty note indeed.
Review originally published at JMWW.
I just read this and it made me think of the main character in Nine Months:
"It is a seductive position writers put the reader in when the create an interesting, unlikeable character--they make the reader complicit, in ways that are both uncomfortable and intriguing."--From Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Meet Sonia, the lady who is married and pregnant (again—how inconvenient!) just when her two boys are getting out of diapers. Just when Sonia is about ready to take up painting again, like she did in college. Back when she used to sleep with her professors. Back when she was "someone." If Nine Months had a thesis, I dare suggest the book argues children make you old and no fun (fun is for individuals). Sonia's personality was so divided to me: one minute she's hugging her kids, the next minute she's giving them the stink eye. What does this mean? Is there no coinciding between mother and child? Must it be love or hate and never "you exist and I appreciate that, but I'm going to work you into my life, not make you my life"—Sonia doesn't seem to think so. Because Sonia is so flip-floppy in her attitude toward motherhood, you either love or hate her (just check the Goodread scores!).
But Bomer's book, both disgusting (hemorrhoids!) and funny (ahhh, masterbation), points out some deeply ingrained societal issues. Another mother ("educated, white, middle-class") points out that her youngest kid, a girl, "helps me pick up after the boys. She's just a baby, but she knows how to pick up. My boys don't, of course." Have these boy children no sense of self-pride? Sonia's friend tries to put Sonia's unexpected/unwanted pregnancy into a better light, suggesting this baby might be a girl: "Everyone needs a daughter...Who's going to take care of you when you get old? Your sons? I don't think so." Girls and woman: maids, wombs, sex providers. After giving her husband a blow job, he returns the favor to Sonia in the morning by picking up and making breakfast. "Why is this special," she asks, "Why don't you give me your best shot every morning? Why don't you feel any obligation around here? All I can say is, I'm never sucking your fucking dick again. You got that? Never." The points Bomer makes about expected gender divides are made clear without sounding preachy. Honest dialogue comes from Sonia on these topics, even when she sounds "bitchy." Sonia tries to figure out what it means to be a mother through her interactions with others, and everyone seems to lean toward female = self-sacrifice (whether a mother or not).
I'm sure other book reviews will describe how Sonia flees her family and goes on a road trip, ingesting drugs and having unprotected sex at a rest stop. But I think focusing on the fringe behaviors misses the big picture of the story. It's a rambunctious book, one that wants to cover a lot, but if you're only reading to find out how "naughty" Sonia is and how her husband will react/punish her (or how the reader would condemn her), then Nine Months will end on an empty note indeed.
Review originally published at JMWW.
I just read this and it made me think of the main character in Nine Months:
"It is a seductive position writers put the reader in when the create an interesting, unlikeable character--they make the reader complicit, in ways that are both uncomfortable and intriguing."--From Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
christinalepre's review against another edition
3.0
Like Bomer's wonderful short story collection, [b:Baby and Other Stories|8654838|Baby and Other Stories|Paula Bomer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348185246s/8654838.jpg|13526100], this novel explores the fear and desperation many women feel about having children, something rarely voiced in fiction in such a visceral way. It's hard to stick with a character as difficult as Sonia for the length of an entire novel; if you don't think you can do it, I would strongly recommend trying Bomer's short stories instead, which feature challenging female characters in smaller, more manageable doses.