Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss, and Love

by Rebecca Majoya

A loving lesbian couple raising their two boys as a blended family in Vermont, Rebecca and Sallyann are deeply committed parents who dream of having a baby together. They try everything from foster care to fertility trials, and after nearly ten years of failed attempts, find an opportunity to participate in a local, private adoption with a teenage mom. Rebecca and Sallyann are overjoyed when they hold their newborn son in their arms. They take the baby home from the hospital and welcome him into their family. But outside forces intervene and the birth mother reclaims the baby, sending the couple into a tailspin. To survive this traumatic loss, Rebecca and Sallyann lean on their love as a couple, and grow stronger in their grief.
From their distinct voices, this dual memoir explores how feelings of self-doubt, longing, and heartache sneak into the layers of life, informing the decisions you make and the place where you belong.

218 pages, Hardcover

Published September 20, 2022

Reviews

[Danica Anacan]

I had a hard time putting this book down. This is a remarkable story of love and loss. The journey of living in uncertainty- Falling in love, living in times when being gay wasn’t widely acceptable, blending a family, failed attempts to have a baby and a baby they almost had!
I didn’t realize the risk that is associated with adoption - all the negative possibilities/emotions- until after reading this book. Like, wow!
But through it all, on every page of this book, I felt their devotion and unconditional love to each other. It is beautiful how they love so gently and openly. And at the end, I thought ‘how blessed are they to have one another and a love that’s pure and fulfilling.’

Uncertain Fruit is a well written book that I highly recommend!

[Candy Jones]

this is an intimate, impactful biography that touches the heart in every chapter. Highly recommended.

[Rita]

I received an ARC book and was able to read it the afternoon I received it. It is a short but poignant memoir of two educated women who desperately wanted a baby.

[Penny Adrian]

One of the most tender and heartbreaking love stories I've ever read.
Can deep love ever be separated by the risk of deep loss?
Nope.
These women are brave, heroic, and a gift to the world.

[Erin]

This story was absolutely heartbreaking and it boggles my mind how these two women were able to persevere through this much loss and uncertainty. There also were some parts of the story that were difficult to follow, whether that be switching timelines/perspectives or just introducing several minor characters in such a short memoir. However, I do think it is very important to shed light into the challenges of adoption and the authors did this well.

[Jennie Foust]

This was an incredibly powerful dual-memoir. I loved the balance between the two authors, how it felt like I was getting equal amounts of perspective from them both. It gave great insight into how each of them tackled challenges throughout the story while continuing to support one another.

I loved the large cast of supporting characters that popped in and out throughout the book. I struggled a little to keep up, but that’s just because I suck with names.

The end felt like a beginning for this family. A fresh start, even though memories linger. We have to keep on keeping on.

A seriously raw memoir, one of the best I’ve read.

[Kea4]

I think it’s tragic that when a child is put up for adoption that the biological parents can change their minds and take back the child. No wonder so many people don’t adopt.

Heartbreaking.

I did wonder why they never tried surgency or donor eggs but it’s not for me the reader to go deeper into their personal lives.

I wasn’t a fan of the book bouncing around time-wise.

I was surprised there was no updated ending. Did they try again? Will they try again?

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Bridgette]

Uncertain Fruit is a story about a couple who would love a baby to call their own. Just when it is almost finalized, the birth mother wants the baby back. This book tells the story of their loss and grief. The book flips back and forth between both authors while they tell their story. Highly recommend.

[Anagha Sreevals]

3.5, very hard to rate a book so vulnerable .....I appreciated the narration and emotions poured into this book.

The writing and switching settings/periods of times were confusing for me, but I still got the main gist of it. The pain, grief, and loss are strongly reflected in this book...a difficult but important read

[Lisa Meyers]

This lovingly written memoir will stay with me for a long time. The authors seamlessly alternate narration and drew me in as they opened their hearts to tell their story. I felt I was on the roller coaster with them. I highly recommend this book.

[CR]

Heartbreaking look at two woman who wanted what so many take for granted. A baby. This is a behind the curtain look at what people go through to have one joy in their life.

[Izzy Cotenoff]

Evidently I’m a little biased since Sallyann and Rebecca are two of my very favorite people, but this was an incredibly heartfelt and moving story and I can’t speak highly enough of it. I tore through it in one day (and evidently so did my cat, as he tried to eat it) and it was such a gift to be able to read their story. Be ready to smile, cry, and everything in between.