Elizabeth
Appleton is a sweet and easy-going adolescent. But as she turns
sixteen, she discovers something so devastating about herself that
her whole world is turned upside down. Elizabeth has been born
without a womb or a vagina and is diagnosed with MRKH, an unusual
congenital disorder that affects the female reproductive tract.
Frightened and confused, Elizabeth must struggle to understand how
she can still be a girl but no longer a 'normal' one. As she
questions everyone and everything around her - her burgeoning
sexuality, her gender, her hopes for the future - Elizabeth must
fight against the shame and betrayal she feels if she is to ever
become the woman she has always hoped to be.
In her first novel,
Cecilia Paul, now a retired expert in the field of MRKH, sensitively
explores and illuminates this complex and often emotionally fraught
medical condition, in order to raise public awareness of MRKH and to
support those affected by it.
What did I think?
Elizabeth is just 16 when she is diagnosed
with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), which is a genetic disorder
that affects the female reproductive system.
When Elizabeth doesn’t start her periods, she is taken to her GP. On examination, it was found that she didn’t
have a vagina or uterus and she is understandably confused and upset. Elizabeth doesn’t think that she can possibly
call herself a girl when the very things that make us female are absent. Thankfully, she has a very supportive family when
she investigates treatment options to help her cope with her MRKH.
It was so sad to read about Elizabeth calling
herself a freak and dreaming of simply being normal. What is ‘normal’ anyway? As human beings, we come in all shapes and sizes
and I like to think that, with education, we are a lot more accommodating and
understanding of people who may be different.
Unfortunately, devastating incurable genetic disorders seem to be
touching more and more families’ lives these days, mine included. So although this was completely devastating
for Elizabeth, I struggled to completely sympathise with her, due to my own family's recent experience with a lethal genetic disorder, as it was always in the back
of my mind that at least her disorder wasn’t a death sentence.
Although I found the book to be a bit padded
at times (wow, the Appletons really like their food), I think this book will be
a great encouragement to MRKH sufferers, especially those women who are
suffering in silence and are too embarrassed to talk about their
condition. There is hope!
I received this e-book from Authoright in exchange for an honest review.
My rating:
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