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Summary
Summary
A compelling debut novel exploring postpartum depression--for readers of suspenseful women's fiction and fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin.
They say motherhood changes you.
As a driven advertising executive, Lara James has always put her career before any plans for a family, preferring professional chic to stay-at-home style. But after her father's death, she realizes she's ready. More than ready, in fact. Yet pregnancy--something other women seem to accomplish effortlessly, even accidentally--doesn't come easily to Lara. What began as an adventure quickly becomes a nightmare as she and her husband endure endless IVF treatments, hormone therapy, and devastating miscarriages.
When Lara at last becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Auden, she believes their determination has paid off. But Auden cries day and night, ear-shattering screams that strip Lara of her nerves and energy. Her life as a sleep-deprived new mother is unrelenting, and, guiltily, Lara can't help but mourn for what she once had. With her marriage crumbling, Lara is increasingly driven to alarming thoughts and destructive actions she would never have imagined possible before now. Hanging on by a thread, it's only in her darkest moment that Lara will discover the true depths of her love and devotion--and what she's willing to face for the family she's so desperately sought.
At times disturbing, The Unprotected is a bold, unflinching novel for anyone who's ever wanted children--and wondered what they might have to sacrifice along the way.
Author Notes
Kelly Sokol is an MFA-Creative Writing graduate with a concentration in fiction from Goddard College, where she studied with John McManus, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, and Darcey Steinke. She has been featured on NPR, discussing the portrayal of motherhood and postpartum depression in fiction. She teaches creative writing at The Muse Writers Center. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She resides in Norfolk, Virginia.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A woman still haunted by her father's death grapples with postpartum depression in Sokol's engrossing debut. Lara James has it all: a handsome husband, a high-powered job in advertising, and a beautiful home in Richmond, Va. Lara and Will are happy with their charmed, and childless, life, so no one is more surprised than Lara when she begins yearning for a baby. Will is thrilled, and she gets pregnant quickly, only to suffer a miscarriage. Endless rounds of hormone shots and IVF sessions takes a toll on Lara's body and her marriage, but after four years, she gets pregnant, and baby Auden is born. Lara quits her job to stay at home, but Auden is colicky, and her constant crying chafes at Lara's already raw nerves, while tenuous help from Will makes it worse, and Lara begins to spiral. Motherhood is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, and Sokol's streamlined prose takes an unflinching look at an illness that is still treated as taboo. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Lara's life seems perfect: high-flying ad executive marries superhot professor, ticking off the boxes of life neatly and on her own terms, because control is important to her. She's got an eating disorder, one of many secrets kept in the tony Virginia suburbs. She's previously disdained family life and her sister's kids, but, come her mid-thirties, Lara desperately seeks pregnancy. The narrative dives deep into the minutiae of infertility: medical treatments, a flood of sex, then denial, and even Lara's sad postings in an online forum full of TTC (trying to conceive) women. Miscarriages and confessions of a past abortion strain Lara's perfect relationship until, blissfully, she's pregnant. But instead of a Hollywood ending and a fade to black, Lara begins to suffer from isolation and fatigue after birth, quitting her job and spiraling down to dark places as she spends endless hours charting her baby's feeding schedule and struggling with daily life. An unflinching look at one woman's quest to achieve domestic bliss behind the glossy, milk-stained haze of Pinterest-perfect mommy culture.--Howerton, Erin Downey Copyright 2017 Booklist