STILL BORN

Narrator Rachel Schwab delivers a cool performance as graduate student Laura, who is positive she doesn't want children. Schwab provides a calm, steady voice that is perfect for the intellectual, curious young woman. Her friend, Alina, confesses she wants a child. After seeking infertility treatments, Alina becomes pregnant with a baby that develops a devastating neurological prognosis. At the same time, Laura's neighbor's son is having temper tantrums the entire apartment building can hear. Laura takes on a maternal role with the boy, trying to calm him. A situation unfolding on Laura's balcony, a case of avian brood parasitism, fascinates her. Even as Schwab narrates passages filled with tension and anxiety, her tone helps listeners contemplate motherhood, feminism, and friendship. A.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2023]