Guest Reviewed by Jennifer Takhar Two-Week Wait (2021) is a graphic novel that details Joanne and Conrad’s, the protagonists, uneven in vitro fertilisation (IVF) journey which ultimately leads to the successful birth of their child. The authors, Luke and Kelly Jackson, have claimed that their representation of IVF, based on personal experience, “is not a medical text (but more) a relationship drama” (The Guardian, 2021). I would argue that Two-Week Wait is as much a medical text as it is a depiction of the emotional, corporeal and financial vicissitudes, (an amalgam I call “IVF affect”), that are commonplace in… Read More
Two-Week Wait: An IVF Story
Review by Alice Jaggers Two-Week Wait: An IVF Story is a fictional story of Conrad and Joanne who find themselves on an in vitro fertilization (IVF) journey. Two-week wait is significant because there is a two-week wait between conception and being able to see if implantation occurred. It is the earliest a person can test with a home pregnancy kit. For IVF patients, there is a two-week wait after a specialist places a viable embryo (or embryos) into the patient’s uterus before a blood test is drawn to see if they are pregnant. This time is full of anxiety… Read More
Catalogue Baby: A Memoir of Infertility
Book Review by Alice Jaggers Catalogue Baby: A Memoir of Infertility is the journey of Myriam Steinberg trying to get pregnant as a single woman, written by her and with art by Christache. She explores her conception options and explains each to the reader. As she goes through various choices, she faces miscarriage, trips to the hospital, and multiple surgeries. She additionally explores the stigma around abortion. Throughout the memoir, Myriam focuses on her emotions and her physical health. It is clear that she has an extensive support system carrying her through her infertility experiences. Myriam engages the reader and… Read More
Bearing Stories
The Shiniest Jewel: A Family Love Story One Good Egg: An Illustrated Memoir Baby: A Soppy Story Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos New Life Waves The Facts of Life Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression Books reviewed by Kevin Wolf Every pregnancy is typical and atypical; that is, they are all unique; just like the stories reviewed here. Some are more medically informative than others. They each cover different topics but don’t view them as being the end all for any of those pregnancy-types. The stories provide two forms: words and pictures both of which… Read More
I(V)F: A Memoir of Infertility
guest review by Rebecca Starr IF: A Memoir of Infertility details Sheila Alexander’s journey through in vitro fertilization (IVF). After trying to conceive a child for over a year, Sheila’s doctor suggests IVF as a next step. Her graphic memoir details her 407-day IVF journey. While Sheila does not narrate every day of her IVF journey, she takes us through the most important ones. Her often-humorous illustrations help describe procedures and internal changes. A hysteroscopy is visualized as a fashion shoot for the fallopian tubes, and after follicle stimulation, the increased number of eggs stage a protest to “emancipate the… Read More