A Woman´s Story

Annie Ernaux

“I believe I am writing about my mother because it is my turn to bring her into the world ”

Annie Ernaux writes from a deeply personal and intimate place, never aiming to please the reader—this holds true not just for this book, but for all her work. This book is Ernaux’s attempt to write about her mother as the woman she truly was. What I admire in Ernaux’s writing is her raw honesty. She does not shy away from expressing her real emotions toward her mother, nor does she attempt to soften them.
Her hardworking mother dedicated herself to giving her daughter the opportunities she never had. But, when her daughter attains those very things, she feels a certain resentment—a reminder of the life she never lived. Aren’t we all, in some way, shaped by the unlived lives of our mothers and fathers? How human, how familiar this feeling is. In our flawed human existence, mothers are no exception. To claim otherwise would be to deny the individual behind the role of “mother.”

I strongly recommend this book—or any book by Annie Ernaux. I am grateful she wrote, and grateful that I get to read her.