Whether or not she will have a baby, or be a mother, in any sense, is the biggest secret she keeps from herself. Sheila Heti circles this question in a constant state of tortured deliberation, infused with such raw grace and gentle wisdom. She writes about writing, the desire to capture what being human feels like, defined by the lack of mothering as opposed to fulfilling that seemingly inevitable role, and it’s both painful and deeply inspiring.
— Angelina
I am yet to come across a better articulation of internal conflicts: motherhood, relationships, fulfilment and childhood. I will think about this book for a very long time, as you will.
— Maria
“Sheila Heti has a way of tapping into the throes of consciousness and coming out with a precisely articulated version of how we think. Her new book, Motherhood, delves deep into the decision of whether or not to have children, while simultaneously exploring femininity, identity, and self purpose. Even if motherhood is not pertinent to your life, this book will shed light on our culture and the expectations that are bound to affect everyone at some point.”
— Courtney Flynn, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, Boston, MA
From the author of How Should a Person Be? (“one of the most talked-about books of the year”—Time Magazine) and the New York Times Bestseller Women in Clothes comes a daring audiobook about whether to have children.
In Motherhood, Sheila Heti asks what is gained and what is lost when a woman becomes a mother, treating the most consequential decision of early adulthood with the candor, originality, and humor that have won Heti international acclaim and made How Should A Person Be? required reading for a generation.
In her late thirties, when her friends are asking when they will become mothers, the narrator of Heti’s intimate and urgent audiobook considers whether she will do so at all. In a narrative spanning several years, casting among the influence of her peers, partner, and her duties to her forbearers, she struggles to make a wise and moral choice. After seeking guidance from philosophy, her body, mysticism, and chance, she discovers her answer much closer to home.
Motherhood is a courageous, keenly felt, and starkly original audiobook that will surely spark lively conversations about womanhood, parenthood, and about how—and for whom—to live.