Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

This book isn't what it seems.

A woman is desperate to have a baby and goes through the ordeal of IVF to get pregnant. But strange things keeps happening, such as missed appointments and spoiled medication, as if the forces were out to prevent there being a baby at all.

I don't know much about the IVF process, but I know that it isn't easy. In this story the details are rather harrowing even before the paranoia sets in, so I pity anyone involved with this. Plus there are lots of unsettling myths and superstitions about pregnancy and childbirth just to add salt to the wounds.

​In this book the woman is an actor, so someone famous who may be recognised by people who are strangers to herself. The paranoia sets in early with folk watching her or being outside her window or even inside her home. Are these people watching because of her celebrity or because they want to do her harm? There are elements of horror, terror and the occult in this intense psychological thriller. Written from the perspective of the potential mother, she unsure about everything, including her own body and mind. There are some very odd things going on.

This is a mostly fast paced tale, albeit a little inconsistent and repetitive at times, and a bit strange. However, this unusual aspect prevents a predictable assumption of where the story is heading. Recommended for those who enjoy a Rosemary's Baby style of book, but not if you are in the family way.

---

Published by Viper on 17 August 2023.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

The Global Shelf