A review by strawberrymivvy
Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This psychological tale doesn't read like a first novel, well-rounded (if not particularly likeable) characters, and I loved that Lana had an unusual job - never read about an art historian before!
Lana's whole life in recent years has revolved around her desire to get pregnant, she's lost herself along the way, and now has lost her partner too - just in time to find herself pregnant.
She comes across her egg donor on the street and decides to follow her, but when Katya disappears Lana's life unravels even more, with herself as a suspect, then her ex-partner, and Lana somehow comforting Katya's Bulgarian mother.
Katya was particularly unlikable, especially in her interactions with Josh, her therapist, and I enjoyed how different twists and surprises were thrown into the story when we were least expecting it.
The ending was ultimately disappointing to me, I felt it lacked real closure and instead was a tick box exercise, but it was forgiveable.
Infertility thread could be triggering for some readers
Lana's whole life in recent years has revolved around her desire to get pregnant, she's lost herself along the way, and now has lost her partner too - just in time to find herself pregnant.
She comes across her egg donor on the street and decides to follow her, but when Katya disappears Lana's life unravels even more, with herself as a suspect, then her ex-partner, and Lana somehow comforting Katya's Bulgarian mother.
Katya was particularly unlikable, especially in her interactions with Josh, her therapist, and I enjoyed how different twists and surprises were thrown into the story when we were least expecting it.
The ending was ultimately disappointing to me, I felt it lacked real closure and instead was a tick box exercise, but it was forgiveable.
Infertility thread could be triggering for some readers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
Moderate: Miscarriage