This novel was written by psychiatrist Monica Starkman of the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Psychiatry in Ann Arbor. The story was sparked by consultations/therapy I did with two women with false pregnancies (pseudocyesis). Inpatient scenes reflect my experiences on our units as a resident, and chapters involving outpatient therapy reflect our work as clinicians, Dr. Starkman explained.
The story focuses on a woman whose desperate desire to become a mother is thwarted by infertility and miscarriage. After a false pregnancy, the woman’s hopes are dashed, which plunges her into deep depression and, eventually, acts of desperation. According to the publisher, this emotionally gripping novel is a suspenseful journey across the blurred boundaries between sanity and madness, depression and healing. The novel was an International Book Awards finalist for literary fiction in 2016.
Contributor: Monica Starkman from University of Michigan Medical School