Rat 🛸
Elements of this I really loved - a lot of Shibata's messed-up internal monologue, especially her connection to and esteem of pregnant women. I enjoy her colleague who smells of glue. The section near the end where her friend confides about her experiences as a mother really stands out. But unfortunately it did get quite repetitive - so much about her diet and exercise, which was only relevant or interesting half the time.
While this is a feminist story, I did find myself struggling a bit with the premise just because I know that pregnant people themselves are an oppressed class. So many people don't have adequate parental leave, or find that people think they are incompetent during their pregnancy. Sexism can often be worse as a pregnant woman is often seen as 'more feminine' and so more guilty of perceived feminine faults like spiritual weakness and irrationality. This is barely touched on in the book (maybe because they would have to spend more time justifying Shibata's lie?), but I think it would be stronger for dealing with these issues. I was pleased it dealt with the overwhelming nature of motherhood though.
Elements of this I really loved - a lot of Shibata's messed-up internal monologue, especially her connection to and esteem of pregnant women. I enjoy her colleague who smells of glue. The section near the end where her friend confides about her experiences as a mother really stands out. But unfortunately it did get quite repetitive - so much about her diet and exercise, which was only relevant or interesting half the time.
While this is a feminist story, I did find myself struggling a bit with the premise just because I know that pregnant people themselves are an oppressed class. So many people don't have adequate parental leave, or find that people think they are incompetent during their pregnancy. Sexism can often be worse as a pregnant woman is often seen as 'more feminine' and so more guilty of perceived feminine faults like spiritual weakness and irrationality. This is barely touched on in the book (maybe because they would have to spend more time justifying Shibata's lie?), but I think it would be stronger for dealing with these issues. I was pleased it dealt with the overwhelming nature of motherhood though.