As with all my book reviews finding a way to share a synopsis of Thirty Eight Days of Rain by Eva Esprakis without spoiling the story for you, is a challenge but I will do my best.
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Thirty Eight Days of Rain shares a journey of a women dealing with life issues that challenge her, and make her question who she is and what means the most to her in life. The author makes you feel very involved in the story of the main character, Androulla as she navigates the things she faces in her life and the lives around her.
“What matters more, your place as a daughter or as a mother?”
Androulla is twenty-four and newly married when she learns that
she is infertile. In a bid for Cypriot citizenship she is undergoing
adoption by her stepfather, and wondering if she will have to
adopt a child one day herself.
As this reality sets in, Androulla’s marriage unravels. Between
migration departments and doctors’ appointments, she must
question what it means to be from somewhere, what it means to be
a woman and, when an impossible choice presents itself, which of
those things means the most to her”
Androulla is dealing with being newly diagnosed with PCOS which in itself is a challenge to face in life. Whilst I have not dealt with this diagnosis, I have family members who have and I know it’s a rollercoaster both physically and emotionally.
She also is dealing with the process of being adopted by her Cypriot stepfather and the gamut of emotions and exploring of feelings that brings. Needing to belong both mentally and physically is something entrenched deep in us as humans and you definitely feel sympathy for her as she navigates life when things don’t go to plan, and her marriage is falling apart and she has to deal with loss.
I was curious about this book given the topic of adoption, fertility and loss that it covers and was a little bit of trepidation about it but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am older than Androulla, a lot older, but the feelings and issues she faces are ones that many women deal with, in our journey to find out who we are and where we belong as well as the fear, anger and frustration when our bodies don’t “do” what they are meant to do. Facing the reality that you may not be able to get pregnant or face huge hurdles to achieve that is something many women can relate to, and I felt quite sad and tearful at points along the journey.
It’s not a light book and it’s does have some up and down moments but I felt compelled to carry on to the end, even though I had a feeling I knew what she was facing. Dealing with those things at her age, is no easy feat.
It’s a very courageously written book and you feel for Androulla as she navigates the things life is throwing at her.
I would definitely recommend it, not as a light chick lit book, but as a book with a bit more depth and reality and you want things to work out for Androulla. You can get a copy here, to find out what happens, and how life’s twists and turns are faced by her.
Eva Asprakis was raised in South London by her American mother and Cypriot stepfather, who subsequently adopted her.She now lives in Nicosia with her partner, and is the author of two contemporary fiction novels, Thirty-Eight Days of Rain, and Love and OnlyWater.