Still Born

Guadalupe Nettels fourth novel, Still Born, explores the decision of whether or not to have children, with independent and career-driven women Alina and Laura facing complications in their pregnancies and becoming attached to their neighbors son. The novel explores maternal ambivalence with a surgeons touch.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 22 June 2022
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions

Still Born, Guadalupe Nettel's fourth novel, delves into one of life's most significant choices: whether to have children. With her signature charm and intelligence, Nettel explores this decision with depth and insight. Alina and Laura are independent and career-driven women in their mid-thirties, neither of whom has built their future around the prospect of a family. Laura has taken a drastic decision to be sterilized, but as time passes, Alina becomes drawn to the idea of becoming a mother. When complications arise in Alina's pregnancy, and Laura becomes attached to her neighbor's son, both women are forced to confront the complexity of their emotions. In prose that is both gripping and insightful, Still Born examines maternal ambivalence with a surgeon's touch, carefully dissecting the contradictions that make up the lived experiences of women.

Alina and Laura are two independent and successful women in their mid-thirties who have chosen not to have children. While Laura has made a firm decision to be sterilized, Alina begins to contemplate the idea of becoming a mother. However, their paths take an unexpected turn when Alina becomes pregnant and Laura develops a strong bond with her neighbor's son. As Alina navigates the challenges of her pregnancy, she grapples with the conflicting emotions of wanting to have her own child and being torn between her loyalty to Laura and her growing desire to become a mother. Meanwhile, Laura finds herself struggling with the guilt of abandoning her dream of a childless life and the emotional attachment she has formed with her neighbor's son. Through their struggles, Alina and Laura come to realize that the decision to have children is not as straightforward as it seems and that there are many factors that can influence a woman's choice.

In Still Born, Guadalupe Nettel explores the complex and multifaceted issue of maternal ambivalence through the lives of Alina and Laura. The novel delves into the personal choices and circumstances that lead these women to make their decisions about motherhood, and the emotional toll that these choices take on them. Alina and Laura are two independent and successful women in their mid-thirties who have chosen not to have children. While Laura has made a firm decision to be sterilized, Alina begins to contemplate the idea of becoming a mother. However, their paths take an unexpected turn when Alina becomes pregnant and Laura develops a strong bond with her neighbor's son. As Alina navigates the challenges of her pregnancy, she grapples with the conflicting emotions of wanting to have her own child and being torn between her loyalty to Laura and her growing desire to become a mother. Meanwhile, Laura finds herself struggling with the guilt of abandoning her dream of a childless life and the emotional attachment she has formed with her neighbor's son. Through their struggles, Alina and Laura come to realize that the decision to have children is not as straightforward as it seems and that there are many factors that can influence a woman's choice.

Dimension: 197 x 125 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913097660