In What We Carry, Kalyn Fogarty compassionately examines how the grief and loss of the shattering experience of miscarriage can be far-reaching and disabling for all in a family.
Cassidy Morgan's life "had rolled along on a very specific track," and she seemed to have it all--a tender, loving and supportive husband, Owen, and a rewarding and fulfilling career as an equine veterinarian. Family was next on the list--infertility was not.
When the young, Boston couple finally conceive, they are filled with the glowing prospect of welcoming their first child. But at 20 weeks, Cassidy loses the baby--a son. The devastating impact is wrenching for the couple, who are challenged in dealing with loss, grief and their own identities in the aftermath. The tragedy further resonates with Cassidy's contentious mother, Joan, and Cassidy's sister, Clare, who join the couple in feeling powerless--and who also make a myriad of mistakes and verbal missteps in the wake of dealing with the raw sense of emotion spurred on by the heartbreak. When the couple becomes pregnant again, fear and hope rage a tug-of-war that shrouds joy, heightening everyone's trepidation toward the harrowing prospect of welcoming another new life.
Fogarty (Sometime, Somewhere) displays great wisdom, effectively presenting her complex, poignant story through alternating first-person points of view of all involved. Layers of insightful, beautifully rendered prose and absorbing monologues shine a light through a multi-faceted prism of loss and grief that ultimately reflects the hopeful beauty of learning how to start over. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines