by Jill Dawson
First published 2002
This collection brings together voices from acclaimed authors including Roddy Doyle, David Guterson, Emily Perkins, Polly Samson, Nick Hornby and Peter Carey. Each of the twenty-three stories examines different moments in the journey from pregnancy through birth to early parenthood. The writers capture intimate scenes of expectation and uncertainty, from first glimpses of ultrasound images to sleepless nights with newborns. Characters navigate the physical and emotional transformations that come with creating new life. Some stories focus on the anticipation and fear before birth, others on the overwhelming reality of caring for an infant. The collection reveals how becoming a parent reshapes identity, relationships, and daily existence in ways both profound and mundane.
Genres: fiction, anthologies, family-life, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
288 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury