REVIEWED BY AMANDA KEATS
The Two Week Wait follows the paths of two women as they consider IVF. Lou, a lesbian recovering from minor surgery, knows that her biological clock is ticking and she must decide soon if she is going to become a mother. Cath however, is hell-bent on looking into her options having been given the all-clear after her cancer treatment. With her ovaries removed, Cath can no longer produce eggs but she is still capable of carrying a child. These two strangers are about to become linked by a process call egg-sharing – something new to both of them.
For a book that's subject matter held no interest for me, I found the story incredibly compelling. Rayner has clearly done her research and the result is a story that reads more like non-fiction than fiction due to its unashamed honesty. The book takes you through the highs and lows of the IVF process, leaving nothing out, and examines the powerful link between two total strangers as they strive to become mothers.
There is not just the two central women though, and in this lies one of Rayner's biggest strengths. Though they are the focus of the story, time is given to the fathers in their stories and what they go through as well as the families and friends. Not everyone is happy with their decision and genuine moral and ethical issues are raised - especially by Cath's sister-in-law who seems set on fixating on the fact that if Cath does manage to carry the child, it will never actually be hers.
Through all the hormones, tests, judgement and moral dilemmas is a story that captures the joy and heartbreak of the struggle many people endure in the faint hope that they will one day manage to become parents and the repercussions this can have on their relationships and sanity.
Beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest.
8/10