[Book Review] Still Born by Guadalupe Nettle (translated by Rosalind Harvey)

Reading its title I could only guess the story would take a sad and devastating turn, but after finishing it, it unexpectedly sparked hope and joy and warmth.

Still Born is a story about women who decided to take a journey into motherhood and the one who doesn’t. Furthermore, it’s also a story about women who unexpectedly plunge themselves into this journey and face motherhood in an unconventional way — as in the case with being a nanny and loving the child you care for so much as his your own, as well as any other forms of motherhood.

This book, if anything, is a fiction exploring feminism and motherhood at its finest. It also touches other subjects such as politics, digital addiction, and patriarchy that wrap around the story into more compelling one.

And I love how the prose is written, straight forward with sardonic tone that made you want to smirk and nod along the lines.

As I was reading this book, I kept guessing this and that. I was all wrong. It was so unpredictable yet made you so content by the end of it. Have it a go, and you’ll be surprised.