Words We Cannot Say

We rated this book:

$5.99


Penelope is a labor and delivery nurse who recently got out of a relationship in which she was “the other woman.” Nia, her best friend, is a wealthy doctor’s wife who has struggled for years to have a child, both through adoption and through IVF. Lotus, her cousin, is the breadwinner in an open marriage who is beginning to realize that perhaps she is giving a great deal more than she takes. When the three of them find themselves pregnant at the same time, their friendships will be strengthened and tested, as will their convictions.

Pregnancy has never been an easy experience. Even with modern medicine and knowledge about the human body, it can be dangerous for both mother and baby. Womanhood, too, has never been easy, even with greater liberties and protections than in the past. Balancing life, a career, and motherhood at times seems like an impossible juggling act. Even preparing for motherhood can be anxiety-inducing. With so many different ways to go about it, how can anyone be sure which way is right?

Through her three heroines, Sita Romero presents three different views on pregnancy and motherhood. None of the women are presented merely as a character study, however. Penelope is not just a nurse and the voice of single working mothers; she has trauma of her own, dating back to her relationship with her mother. She approaches matters logically, but there is a deep emotional core to her as well. Nia, likewise, is not the vapid, self-obsessed woman one might expect of a former model, while Lotus’s holistic, all-natural approach to life is neither entirely a balm for the troubles of the world nor entirely a sham. Romero, it seems, is not in the habit of making one-dimensional characters. All three of her women have depths beyond what a lesser writer might assign them.

Words We Cannot Say is a touching and, at times, heart-rending book about the joys and tragedies of pregnancy in modern times. While all three protagonists are wealthy enough to be independent, they each come from different backgrounds and have different enough hopes and desires that they cannot possibly be said to represent only one subset of femininity. Their money cannot free them from all worry, either; it can only protect them from some of the harsher realities of the world. Others, however, linger as a part of being human and living in the world. This book is an honest, beautiful look at motherhood, and I highly recommend it.


Reviewed By:

Author Sita Romero
Star Count 5/5
Format eBook
Page Count 280 pages
Publisher Red Adept Publishing
Publish Date 19-Apr-2022
ISBN 9781948051866
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue April 2022
Category Popular Fiction
Share