It has been almost two years since Dua Lipa started her monthly book club, and it is still going strong. Each month, the club lists its choice for readers, focusing on award-winners and best-sellers. Those who have subscribed to the monthly newsletter will receive news about the month’s pick first, along with reviews, news of other releases, and exclusive content surrounding the book. This month’s selection is Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel.
Released in 2020, Still Born focuses on three women’s experiences with motherhood. It was shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, translated into different languages, and received much acclaim from notable authors and book reviewers. Along with penning such highly-acclaimed novels, Nettel has edited cultural and literary magazines such as Número Cero and Revista de la Universidad de México and is a writer in residence at the Columbia University Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. In 2008, she received a PhD in Literature from the EHESS, a notable graduate institution in Paris.
In discussing Still Born, Dua Lipa shares,
“Laura and Alina are friends in their early 30s living in Mexico City. Both are determinedly childfree, believing that motherhood is a trap of the patriarchy. Then, Alina changers her mind. You might think this is where their lives diverge, but the turning point in this book is a surprise for everyone.
“As Alina’s life is upended with a devastating medical diagnosis for her unborn daughter, Alina and Laura’s friendship becomes more vital than ever. Baby Inés doesn’t die as her parents feared—she is still born, despite her prognosis. However, this story doesn’t shy away from the complex realities of raising a child with profound disabilities—instead, it focuses on the transcendent power of love, as the parents get to know their daughter. The experience is transformative for all the caregivers in Inés’s life.
“Care, in its many forms, is beautifully explored in this book—whether it’s Laura stepping in without fuss to care for the traumatized child living next door, or the pigeons on the balcony tenderly raising a cuckoo in their nest. And as you’ll learn, no one gets anything past a pigeon!
“This book is both uplifting and gut-wrenching, often at the same time. If you are dealing with any of the issues tackled in the book, please explore this story at your own pace. At its heart, it is a story about the many different ways to be a family, and it made me reflect on what an honor it is to care for someone you truly love.”
As always, there is much more content related to Still Born to explore on Service95. Here, there is an interview between Dua Lipa and Guadalupe Nettel, where they discuss the book’s various themes. There is also a reading list and playlist curated by Nettel, along with an essay about the challenges of writing the book.
Readers can subscribe to the Service95 Book Club newsletter here.
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