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SYNOPSIS

A trip to the library prompts one woman to question her fate in this galvanizing short story. For a woman like Hadley, deemed not acceptable to procreate, there’s only one recourse. Unlicensed for motherhood, she can alleviate her grief and frustration at a “baby library,” where a curiously endless supply of infants is available for a two-week loan. But the borrowed life that serves as a temporary balm leads to a journey of self-discovery that will forever change the direction of Hadley’s future.

Roxane Gay’s Graceful Burdens is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

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REVIEW

I liked the premise of this story more than the execution.

I really enjoyed the beginning, but it was downhill from there (as we got away from the baby library & began talking about unlicensed motherhood). I wanted to be surprised/shocked, but found myself expecting all the twists. I’m not sure it reaches its full potential (many parts felt lacking to me), but it was a good story regardless.

I’ve heard a lot about Roxane Gay, but I expected something a little different. Perhaps I didn’t start with the right story for me.

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