Don't Read This Book **Updated
Happ*ness Sold Separate/y by Lolly W*nston
Hate to write this. I loved her first novel, Good Grief. Parts of it spoke so clearly to the pain I felt; in fact I found some of her writing on grief so similar to things I had written about grieving my mother that I wondered if she had somehow read my mind as she wrote.
Yesterday I found her newest book at the library and was excited to read it. Infertility plays a role, albeit minor, in her first novel. In this one, infertility is a major character. And once again I felt like W*nston had been peering into my life and taking notes: pushing 40, three years total trying to have a baby, three IUIs, two IVFs.
Can I get some sort of payment for using my life as material? What are those called again?
W*inston gets infertility treatments; she gets how they affect husbands and wives. She knows to use transfer and not implant when discussing putting embryos back in your wooha. She knows her HCG from her HSG.
The novel begins with the wife finding out that her husband is having an affair. Years of IF has hurt their marriage, and he finds solace elsewhere. OK, this part does not resemble my life, but the distance between spouses, the hole created where your life was supposed to be, that part is similar.
I stayed up late reading it and got up early to continue. And then I hit page 200.
And I'm telling you now. Don't read this.
Really, I'm telling you just relax and don't read this.
Don't even try to read this. Pay no attention to reading. Forget about reading. Don't even think about reading this for a few months.
Don't read this on a vacation.
Just don't. Well, unless you want to frighten your poor puppy as you hurl the book across the room.
***Okay, well against my own advice, I kept reading and now I really kind of wish I hadn't but not for the reason mentioned above, but for a much sadder one. Maybe Winston knows more than I gave her credit for. Still not sure if I'm recommending it. Might just be too much reality.
Hate to write this. I loved her first novel, Good Grief. Parts of it spoke so clearly to the pain I felt; in fact I found some of her writing on grief so similar to things I had written about grieving my mother that I wondered if she had somehow read my mind as she wrote.
Yesterday I found her newest book at the library and was excited to read it. Infertility plays a role, albeit minor, in her first novel. In this one, infertility is a major character. And once again I felt like W*nston had been peering into my life and taking notes: pushing 40, three years total trying to have a baby, three IUIs, two IVFs.
Can I get some sort of payment for using my life as material? What are those called again?
W*inston gets infertility treatments; she gets how they affect husbands and wives. She knows to use transfer and not implant when discussing putting embryos back in your wooha. She knows her HCG from her HSG.
The novel begins with the wife finding out that her husband is having an affair. Years of IF has hurt their marriage, and he finds solace elsewhere. OK, this part does not resemble my life, but the distance between spouses, the hole created where your life was supposed to be, that part is similar.
I stayed up late reading it and got up early to continue. And then I hit page 200.
And I'm telling you now. Don't read this.
Really, I'm telling you just relax and don't read this.
Don't even try to read this. Pay no attention to reading. Forget about reading. Don't even think about reading this for a few months.
Don't read this on a vacation.
Just don't. Well, unless you want to frighten your poor puppy as you hurl the book across the room.
***Okay, well against my own advice, I kept reading and now I really kind of wish I hadn't but not for the reason mentioned above, but for a much sadder one. Maybe Winston knows more than I gave her credit for. Still not sure if I'm recommending it. Might just be too much reality.
posted by zhl at 11:05 AM
10 Comments:
You realize now that I have to go to the library right?
Ok, how totally bizarre. I have not been to your site in a few months and today just decided to check in. I JUST FINISHED reading that book this afternoon. And this after finding out that yet another fertility treatment did not work just yesterday.
I agree, do not read this book. Ugh. And I really liked her first book too.
S
I don't even want to guess what happens.
* To add, yes, it is because it is pretty realistic and sad. She does seem to know what she is talking about. All I can add is that it is not a "feel good" book.
S
Well now you've just got me curious! Am I getting that she makes the first part all realistic but then has some sort of miracle baby?
Oh, you cant leave me hangin like this!!! I feel like reading it just so i know what i should try to miss!
Z, i just caught up with your blog, and left a belated comment on the previous post.
Take care, and let us know what happens in this book! I'm still thining about it. Obviously, we're not going to read it, so it wont matter if you just told us ;)
FS
I wonder if anyone can ever write a novel which gets this well enough for us to be able to tolerate it? Every time infertility has happened in a book I've read, there is always a miracle pregnancy involved, sometimes after adoption, just to twist the knife a bit harder (see, for example, the book that's being offered on amazon.co.uk in a 2 for 1 deal with the LW book). The recent Tony Parsons novel did the same thing. Perhaps the misery of just going on and on failing in achieving what, for most people, is the most rewarding thing in their life, is just too hard to make a good story out of.
Ugh, I picked up that book the other day in a bookshop and dropped it like a hot potato! And I so loved her first one too.
Happy belated birthday to my fellow Libran!!
But how can I find out what happens on page 200 if I don't read it???
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