Still Born, Guadalupe Nettel-s fourth novel, explores one of life-s most consequential decisions - whether or not to have children - with her signature charm and intelligence. Alina and Laura are independent and career-driven women in their mid-thirties, neither of whom have built their future around the prospect of a family. Laura has taken the drastic decision to be sterilized, but as time goes by Alina becomes drawn to the idea of becoming a mother. When complications arise in Alina-s pregnancy and Laura becomes attached to her neighbour-s son, both women are forced to reckon with the complexity of their emotions. In prose that is as gripping as it is insightful, Still Born explores maternal ambivalence with a surgeon-s touch, carefully dissecting the contradictions that make up the lived experiences of women.
