After Birth by Elisa Albert

After Birth by Elisa Albert is told from the point of view of Ari, a motherless, isolated womens’ studies scholar experiencing post-partum depression after a traumatic and violating C-section. Lost, alone and desperate she is haunted by the specter of her dead mother and several failed female friendships which become symbols of her own fear and inadequacy as a mother. Forced by society and circumstance to raise a baby without a community of support, she temporarily overcomes her situation by bonding with Mina, another new mother whose feminist punk band Ari followed as a fan. Ari’s manic obsession with Mina runs counter to her depression in a predictable cycle but the story doesn’t have an obvious resolution. The writing is strong, vivid and nightmarish. Comparisons to Bukowski and Sylvia Plath are exact: this book is the place where misogyny meets misanthropy. Dark, disturbing and dismal. I loved it.

For fans of Claire Messud, Mary Gaitskill and Kate Zambreno.