Book Review - Mother of Pearl By Angela Savage

Mother of Pearl

By Angela Savage

My Review:

Having listened to Angela Savage talk about how this book came about, and the research involved, I was very much looking forward to reading Mother of Pearl. I waited patiently until it became my choice for book club and the wait did not disappoint!

The story unfolds from a three person POV. We get a glimpse into each characters life, we get an understanding of their motivation behind the surrogacy for all involved. We also feel empathy for the position each woman finds herself in.

Savage writes with such authenticity about Thailand that it is easy to imagine being there. She is such a skilled writer that she is able to write with compassion for each character, but also a rawness that my heart constricted on more than one occasion. A powerful, thought provoking book that will keep you wondering about the world we live in, the science of medicine and what drives us to make the choices we make.

Highly recommend this if you have ever wondered what lengths you would go to if it meant getting what you want.

From the publisher TRANSIT LOUNGE

A luminous and courageous story about the hopes and dreams we all have for our lives and relationships, and the often fraught and unexpected ways they may be realised.

Angela Savage draws us masterfully into the lives of Anna, an aid worker trying to settle back into life in Australia after more than a decade in Southeast Asia; Meg, Anna’s sister, who holds out hope for a child despite seven fruitless years of IVF; Meg’s husband Nate, and Mukda, a single mother in provincial Thailand who wants to do the right thing by her son and parents.

The women and their families’ lives become intimately intertwined in the unsettling and extraordinary process of trying to bring a child into the world across borders of class, culture and nationality. Rich in characterisation and feeling, Mother of Pearl and the timely issues it raises will generate discussion among readers everywhere.

You can check out my other reviews at GOODREADS