A review by playfulplatypus
Reproduction by Louisa Hall

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

I’ll start by saying that I don’t think I was the target audience for this book, so I understand that likely shapes my feelings about it. I enjoyed this read and even learned some things about pregnancy and the challenges therein. It was deeply reflective and provided some poignant thoughts on the particular pains someone with a uterus may face. Still, with all of the deep excavation of feelings and perspectives, I never felt like I really got to understand our main character’s driving motivation and that made me feel a degree of disconnection from her struggle.
Seriously, after so much trauma, why not go a different route? Adoption? Surrogacy, if the genetics are the real issue? Yes, these are expensive but so are repeated procedures to deal with failed pregnancies. Not to mention the risk of death and leaving her daughter without a mother. In the end, it seems she came to peace with the size of her family and let go of striving for more, so that was comforting.


Side note: I would love to read a story with Anna as the main character. That woman is fascinating and mysterious.  
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