Ratings19
Average rating4.3
unexpectedly ends as an oddly moving treatise on motherhood - “accept the turmoil of reproduction inside my body, and, in turn, to let the coming generations pass through me”
In 1963, a young literature student by the name of Annie Ernaux discovers she is pregnant and decides to seek an abortion. At that time in France, the practice was illegal, so she attempted to find other furtive ways to perform the procedure.
Some four decades later, Ernaux recounts these past moments by piecing together excerpts from her daily journal in a straightforward and brutally honest fashion. It's succinct, eye-opening, and assiduous in description.
Ernaux discusses how some sounds and visuals leave permanent imprints on your mind's eye, influencing how you view the world as you grow older and when you recall them. This is definitely a memoir that will not soon be forgotten.