When the Bough Breaks - Hardcover

Hollander, Julia

3.81

27 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719564573 ISBN 13: 9780719564574

Publisher: John Murray, 2008

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After moving to the country to start a new life together away from the pressures of London, Julia and Jay had it all. Pregnant with their second child, Julia looked forward to a happy, complete family. But giving birth to this baby was not the straightforward experience it had been with the first. There were complications. Every mother's worst fear began to take shape as Julia realised that something was wrong. The months that followed involved endless hospital visits and consultations with doctors as she tried to convert her mother's instinct into a concrete diagnosis. Eventually it became clear that Julia's baby was severely disabled.

When the Bough Breaks is an account of one woman's coming to terms with loss and the decision she has to make. It is also a portrait of a mother's love, strength and courage in the most difficult circumstances.

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Review:

'This is an unusually courageous document: the story of a woman who chose to give up her severely brain-damaged child to the foster care system. At a time when such decisions are often seen as monstrous, she makes the case for this as the best decision for herself, her other child, her marriage, and, in the end, for her ill daughter as well. The question of what makes us human beings subtends every decision that a parent such as Julia Hollander has to make, and that philosophical conundrum is played out here. This fascinating book looks at the strange nuances of attachment and detachment, at the very core of the emotional self. It is written with eloquent rage, full of the grandest kinds of love and loss and hope and love again.' (Andrew Solomon)

'A heart-breaking and heart-felt story of a mother's journey to the edge and beyond. Julia Hollander writes with honesty, passion, bravery and great flair' (Imogen Edwards-Jones)

'An agonising conflict tempered by love and bravery' (Professor Robert Winston)

'A very though provoking book ... very moving' (BFK Books)

Book Description:

What happens when a mother can't cope?

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