Surrogate

 Surrogate

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       March 19, 2021

 

Author  Susan Spindler

Distributor:      Hachette Australia
ISBN:                 9780349013763
Publisher:         Hachette Australia
Release Date:   March 2021  

   Website:   https://www.hachette.com.au

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What a journey Susan Spindler has taken us on! For those who have not had a close connection with anyone going through IVF procedures, Surrogate is an absolute revelation. The complexities that arise from the idea of surrogacy add a whole new dimension to this practice; the physical, emotional, spiritual, legal, international and financial requirements are overwhelming, and mostly hidden. Susan Spindler  has set the story in England, using a closely knit  family to unfold the story: the father Adam is a barrister and the mother, Ruth, a television executive.

They have two daughters, Lauren and Alex. Lauren and her husband have been trying to conceive using IVF for several years. Their last pregnancy failed when Lauren was 12 weeks pregnant. They have almost run out of time, money and the emotional courage to continue treatments. It is at this point the idea of surrogacy was raised. Lauren still had four frozen embryos left, but her body was no longer able to carry a pregnancy full term.

There are so many issues to contemplate if this path is to be followed. The surrogate mother needs to be a certain age and in good health. She needs to have had a previous pregnancy, and needs to sign legal documents regarding the handing over of the child. Then, of course, there is the fee. How much do you charge for lending your body to sustain a child, and for the discomfort of delivering that child?

With so many barriers to fulfil their dreams, Ruth at age fifty- four, offers to lend her body to her daughter to act as the surrogate. The story is gripping and understandable, the range of changes in emotions and issues are completely realistic, holding the reader, while expanding their understanding of this process.

A brilliant read and one that is very informative about the emotive world of Surrogacy.

Fiction