Fledging by Rose Diell

 

Fledging by Rose Diell.

Published 28th August 2024 by Renard Press.

From the cover of the book:

When Lia lays an egg she doesn't know what to do. At her age, it's impossible to escape the baby question, and all her friends seem to be having children. She feels her heart's not in it – but all the same, there's the egg, impossible to ignore, lying in a nest of towels in the living room. Her partner on tour on the other side of the world and her mother diagnosed with a terminal illness, 

Lia finds herself torn, unsure whether she's ready to give up on her songwriting dreams; but time is running out, and she must make one of the biggest decisions of her life. 

Beautifully written and brilliantly original, Fledging is a riveting tale and resounding call for a woman's right to make her own choices, whether that means embracing motherhood or living child-free.

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Lia is at a crossroads in her life. Should she continue to pursue her dream to be a songwriter, or follow the example of so many of her friends and put her energy into having a baby? With her mother having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the inevitability of a ticking body clock, she is feeling extra pressure to make a decision before time runs out. 

One January morning, while her musician husband is on tour on the other side of the world, Lia lays an egg. She does not know what to do. The necessity of caring for the egg, and whatever it holds, cannot be ignored. But is she ready for this kind of responsibility?

Fledging is a beautifully written, allegorical novel from debut author Rose Diell, which follows songwriter Lia as she has to make big decisions, especially when it comes to choosing between motherhood or a childfree future. 

Lia becomes the relatable focus of the motherhood question, and in highly original, speculative twist, the mounting pressure she feels to come to a decision is crystalised in the bizarre moment when she gives birth to an egg. While coping with negotiating her mother's illness, a long-distance relationship with her husband, health anxiety, conflicting advice from her friends, and an upturn in her career, she now has the egg to deal with. The egg cleverly represents the baby issue she has been struggling with, and the immediacy of her situation suddenly becomes very real. Somehow, she has to cope with the burden of caring for this vulnerable object while dealing with the push and pull of everything else that is going on in her life. 

Diell takes Lia on a profoundly emotional journey before she makes her decision. She has a lot to consider practically and psychologically, and many aspects of the issues she faces are explored in sparse, but powerful prose. The notion of an egg may seem a bizarre way to probe the subject matter, but it works surprisingly well, and the unexpected connection Lia feels with the egg, and the bird that hatches from it, really pulls you into the story.

Diell writes with incredible insight and sensitivity about the tangled web of complex inner feelings and external pressures on women to decide whether motherhood is right for them - not to mention the increasingly loud tick of the body clock as the years go by. For a book that only spans 169 pages, I am impressed by how many aspects of the baby question she touches on - getting into sharply perceptive nitty gritty beyond feeling 'ready', and the expectation that motherhood is a natural progression for all women. 

I particularly loved with the way Diell explores the power of legacy, and different iterations of 'motherhood' through the sections of the story about Lia and her mother. Nothing makes you think about your own life like being confronted with the prospect of death, and Lia's need to discover everything she can about her mother's family before it is too late is heartrending. The feelings she has about passing on what she has learned are examined well, and the conversations between mother and daughter really strike a chord if you have been through the loss of a parent.

I came to this book expecting it to be all about the right of a woman to be taken seriously when she decides to live a childfree life, but it is actually about the freedom to decide what is right for you, having your decisions respected, and not being pressured to follow expectation. It is a book for all women, whatever your view on the baby issue.

Diell's writing is gorgeous, and her ability to convey emotion through such an unusual concept is astonishing. I defy you not to be moved by this little gem.

Fledging is available to buy now on paperback. You can support an amazing little indie publisher by buying direct from Renard Press HERE.

Thank you to Renard Press for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Rose Diell is a Londoner of Italian, Norwegian and American heritage. She writes in her spare time, with the encouragement and support of her writing circle, the Southbank Scribblers, whom she met through a City Lit writing course.

She loves studying language in all its forms and speaks Italian, French and Arabic. She has also lived in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. 

Rose lives in London with her civil partner and Tolstoy, an extremely fluffy ginger tabby. Fledging is her first novel.