Nine

From the author of AFRICA and THE W SERIES, a gripping novel that follows Amber Gillingham, an accomplished journalist, as she wrestles with society’s expectations about women and motherhood.

Everything is perfectly organized in Amber’s life: her days at work, in the offices of a prestigious magazine in New York; her time with her beloved husband Mike, and their adventurous vacations around the world.

When Amber finds out she is pregnant, her immediate reaction is sheer denial: this can’t be true. She always knew she would want children one day, but now it feels so sudden, so unexpected. She tries to play for time, but Mike’s reaction to the news, with pure delight and anticipation, is the exact opposite. Wasn’t he happy before? Was it all a lie?

The news of the pregnancy propagates like circular water waves, from close family to friends, to colleagues, to acquaintances. At each circle, Amber further detaches from the new role society is imposing on her, and she refuses to comply with the expectation of full submission to the child. At each circle, new voices join the choir of enthusiast celebrations, obstructing Amber’s restless attempts to keep control on her life, to remain who she is without losing herself, her husband, or her job.

NINE explores the role of women in today’s society, the meaning of modern motherhood and how it impacts the relationship between a woman and her companion, her workplace, her friends, her family.

Reviewers of NINE say it is a “remarkably candid” and “eye-opening take on the demons and fears of pregnancy”, a powerful answer to “what we think it means to be a woman today”.

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