A young mother speaks to her second born child. Since the drama of childbirth, all feels calm. The world is new and full of surprises, even though dangers lurk behind every corner; a car out of control, disease ever-present in the air, the unforgiving speed of time.
She tells of the times before the child was born, when the world felt unsure and enveloped in darkness, of long nights with an older lover, of her writing career and the precariousness of beginning a relationship and then a family with her husband, Bo.
A portrait of modern motherhood,
The Child is a love story about what it means to be alive and stay alive, no matter how hard the journey.
Narrated by a woman to her newborn, meandering between her enchanted present and her memories of a more difficult past, The Child is a modern exploration of the territory of motherhood.
"
The Child pays close, intelligent attention to motherhood and art. It's written with memorable precision and love, and I was sorry to finish it."
—Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater"I loved this book, as raw and shimmering as the early nights of motherhood; through its poetic fragments and deep thought the wonder, fear and joy of intimacy shine."
—Liz Berry, author of The Republic of Motherhood"An intimate, honest exploration of motherhood, compassionate and beautifully written."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Precise and careful, page after page of well-judged, unusual phrases that remain in the mind. . . . Skomsvold writes with empathetic clarity on the sensibility of the artist."
—Irish Times"Bold, witty, and deeply existential,
Monsterhuman is a bildungsroman that turns the story of a young woman's chronic fatigue syndrome into an intellectual journey, at once grave and comic."
—Paris Review
"A masterwork of control and characterization, Kjersti A. Skomsvold's novel captures what it means to face one's own legacy."
—NPR"It is evident, even in translation, that Skomsvold's mastery of tone is the source of her wisdom, and her power."
—Lauren Genovesi, Gulf Coast
