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Title details for The Unprotected: a Novel by Kelly Sokol - Available

The Unprotected: a Novel

by Kelly Sokol
ebook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 25, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781510718333
      • File size: 4792 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781510718333
      • File size: 4790 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 20, 2017
      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.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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