Letters to an Embryo by Jasna Kaluđerović
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeLetters to an Embryo is an autobiographical novel that explores the deeply personal journey of Jasna Kaludjerovic as she grapples with the aftermath of a painful divorce. Left with a frozen embryo from the final IVF attempt, she feels torn between the responsibility of giving it a chance to live and the emotional weight of her past.
Over the course of many letters, Jasna writes to the embryo, reflecting on motherhood, identity, and the complexities of letting go.
The novel touches on themes of loss, hope, and the quiet resilience of the human spirit, offering readers an intimate exploration of one woman’s emotional and psychological struggle. With honesty and vulnerability, Kaludjerovic invites readers to walk with her through a personal crisis that many can relate to, yet few are willing to speak about.
Does it have the right to life?
How will it fit with her new role now?
What does it take to make a decision?
Some decisions are too important to make swiftly.
One of the most interesting things about this epistolary
memoir was that Ms. Kaluđerović spoke to her frozen embryo as if he or she were a fellow adult. The letters in it included references to dates, career decisions, occasional money problems, and more. It made me smile to see how deeply connected she already felt to her possible child and how willing she was to talk about sensitive or complicated subjects. Those are good signs in a parent or potential parent in my opinion! So much suffering can be prevented or reduced if a mom or dad is happy to talk about anything and never makes their child feel embarrassed for wanting to know how the world works.
While I enjoyed learning so much about the author’s life, I struggled with the slow pacing of this memoir and had trouble keeping my interest levels high as I read. There were many details that were included that didn’t seem to have anything at all to do with the decision of if or when to implant her final frozen embryo. Even once she knew which option was best for her, there were still many delays along the way that I thought could have been trimmed down or left out.
The ending was well written and matched the tone and themes of the earlier letters beautifully. I ended up searching for the author online to see if there were any additional updates to her journey because I felt like I’d gotten to know her well and was so curious to find out what happened next. There is definitely something to be said for memoirs that dive so deeply into both the positive and negative moments in someone’s life. While I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers, this is definitely something I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre and is even slightly curious about how in vitro fertilization and similar fertility treatments can work.
Letters to an Embryo was thought provoking.
Speak Your Mind