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The Unprotected
A compelling debut novel exploring postpartum depression—for readers of suspenseful women’s fiction and fans of Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin.
They say motherhood changes you.
As a driven advertising executive, Lara James has always put her career before any plans for a family, preferring professional chic to stay-at-home style. But after her father’s death, she realizes she’s ready. More than ready, in fact. Yet pregnancy—something other women seem to accomplish effortlessly, even accidentally—doesn’t come easily to Lara. What began as an adventure quickly becomes a nightmare as she and her husband endure endless IVF treatments, hormone therapy, and devastating miscarriages.
When Lara at last becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Auden, she believes their determination has paid off. But Auden cries day and night, ear-shattering screams that strip Lara of her nerves and energy. Her life as a sleep-deprived new mother is unrelenting, and, guiltily, Lara can’t help but mourn for what she once had. With her marriage crumbling, Lara is increasingly driven to alarming thoughts and destructive actions she would never have imagined possible before now. Hanging on by a thread, it’s only in her darkest moment that Lara will discover the true depths of her love and devotion—and what she’s willing to face for the family she’s so desperately sought.
At times disturbing, The Unprotected is a bold, unflinching novel for anyone who’s ever wanted children—and wondered what they might have to sacrifice along the way.
They say motherhood changes you.
As a driven advertising executive, Lara James has always put her career before any plans for a family, preferring professional chic to stay-at-home style. But after her father’s death, she realizes she’s ready. More than ready, in fact. Yet pregnancy—something other women seem to accomplish effortlessly, even accidentally—doesn’t come easily to Lara. What began as an adventure quickly becomes a nightmare as she and her husband endure endless IVF treatments, hormone therapy, and devastating miscarriages.
When Lara at last becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Auden, she believes their determination has paid off. But Auden cries day and night, ear-shattering screams that strip Lara of her nerves and energy. Her life as a sleep-deprived new mother is unrelenting, and, guiltily, Lara can’t help but mourn for what she once had. With her marriage crumbling, Lara is increasingly driven to alarming thoughts and destructive actions she would never have imagined possible before now. Hanging on by a thread, it’s only in her darkest moment that Lara will discover the true depths of her love and devotion—and what she’s willing to face for the family she’s so desperately sought.
At times disturbing, The Unprotected is a bold, unflinching novel for anyone who’s ever wanted children—and wondered what they might have to sacrifice along the way.
- GenresFictionMental Health
296 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
17 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Sokol
2 books104 followersKelly Sokol is a Pushcart-Prize nominated author and MFA-Creative Writing graduate from Goddard College. She has been featured on NPR, discussing the portrayal of motherhood and postpartum depression in fiction. She teaches creative writing at The Muse Writers Center and through Tidewater Arts Outreach.
When she is not reading, writing or parenting, Kelly dreams, in color, of the mountains. She can often be found skiing or wandering the backcountry. The mother of two plucky daughters, she resides in Virginia.
When she is not reading, writing or parenting, Kelly dreams, in color, of the mountains. She can often be found skiing or wandering the backcountry. The mother of two plucky daughters, she resides in Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 22, 2017
Lara James goes home for her father's funeral and meets Will whom she ends up getting married to. Lara is a typical type A personality and driven to succeed in her marketing career, putting off motherhood without a second thought. Eventually though she feels that she wants to have a child too and like any type A she becomes obsessed with getting pregnant. When she does get pregnant though it's not like she imagined it would be and her obsessive tendencies send her reeling.
While the writing was pretty good I just didn't get into this book at all. Lara isn't sympathetic at all and if you're going to have flawed characters you still have to give them redeeming qualities. . I don't see why I should be on the side of someone who isn't even likable, I didn't feel for her at any point in the book. Which isn't good when you're trying to write a book showing someone's emotional and mental struggles.
The plot was lack luster also and I don't understand what Lara's father's death added to her story. I just feel like the author has watched one too many psychological thrillers or is still stuck in the twentieth century psychoanalysis bullshit because . I got nothing out of reading this one.
While the writing was pretty good I just didn't get into this book at all. Lara isn't sympathetic at all and if you're going to have flawed characters you still have to give them redeeming qualities. . I don't see why I should be on the side of someone who isn't even likable, I didn't feel for her at any point in the book. Which isn't good when you're trying to write a book showing someone's emotional and mental struggles.
The plot was lack luster also and I don't understand what Lara's father's death added to her story. I just feel like the author has watched one too many psychological thrillers or is still stuck in the twentieth century psychoanalysis bullshit because . I got nothing out of reading this one.
May 13, 2017
Lyrical and poignant, this novel follows Lara as she goes from “anti-kids” to “ try-anything- for-one”. The novel explores what happens when everything you have ever wanted turns out to be nothing like what you expected.
The gradual build up was so well done, it shows how easy it is to get to the extreme end of postpartum depression. I think that there are aspects to this story that every mother can relate to. 5/5
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2025
3.5 stars. Difficult to stomach sometimes and light on plot in the traditional sense, but a compelling character study nonetheless.
Also, mild spoilers will be on the loose here. Nothing not found in the synopsis, but the synopsis spoils too much for my liking anyway. Just something to keep in mind.
Lara knew every emotion she was supposed to feel, though no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't conjure them. She could try them on but she couldn't leave the store.
First, a disclaimer - this is a book that deals heavily with fertility, pregnancy, motherhood, postpartum depression, and things of that ilk. As someone who is purposefully child-free, I'll be coming at this book from what is undoubtedly an outsiders perspective. So there will always be a degree of that experience that is foreign to me.
And I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing - I hardly need to have personally experienced everything I read about, nor do I want to. But with such an intimate, multifaceted topic like the Goliath that is capital M MOTHERHOOD, I have to acknowledge (even if just to myself) the limits of my own perspective.
So. The story.
Lara and Will are happily married and child-free. Lara's just never had the urge, and the two of them are already a complete family. To paraphrase Lara herself, she doesn't have a biological clock - all her clocks are digital, meticulously ticking the progression of their lives and of Lara's career.
But as her late thirties approaches, she starts feeling differently. It's not a case of "oh, you'll change your mind," in the stereotypical sense. But the longer Lara considers it, the more motherhood appeals to her. She's already achieved career accolades and financial stability. Why not try for a baby?
But fertility turns out to be harder to grasp - miscarriages, IVF, injections, and mommy-to-be message boards. Lara WANTS motherhood, is willing to endure needles and endless medical bills to achieve it.
And finally, finally it happens for them. They have a healthy baby girl.
So why isn't Lara happy?
She told herself that over and over, hour after hour each day.
Youwantedthisyouwantedthisyouwantedthisyouwantedthis.
Lara is a hard character to like. She is judgy and sharp, about other mothers, her own family, her doctors. But she's not completely unlikable, just single minded and adverse to challenges to her expectations. I may not like her much as a character, but I was able to sympathize with her nonetheless. Through her endless desire for motherhood, to her total disconnect from her screaming infant, I felt genuinely invested in her. And I think there's a strong case to be made that Lara was struggling with some type of preexisting anxiety disorder and would have benefited from therapy, even before bringing postpartum depression into the equation.
My one significant complaint about the book is the ending. It felt abrupt - there's some interesting breakthroughs and character moments happening, then it just...stops? And I guess, rereading the final pages, I can see how it's an okay enough ending. But I don't want my endings to be "okay enough." I wanted more, dammit.
Overall, The Unprotected succeeds as an intimate character study and an emotional exploration of motherhood and mental illness.
Thanks to Skyhorse and Edelweiss for the review copy!
Also, mild spoilers will be on the loose here. Nothing not found in the synopsis, but the synopsis spoils too much for my liking anyway. Just something to keep in mind.
Lara knew every emotion she was supposed to feel, though no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't conjure them. She could try them on but she couldn't leave the store.
First, a disclaimer - this is a book that deals heavily with fertility, pregnancy, motherhood, postpartum depression, and things of that ilk. As someone who is purposefully child-free, I'll be coming at this book from what is undoubtedly an outsiders perspective. So there will always be a degree of that experience that is foreign to me.
And I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing - I hardly need to have personally experienced everything I read about, nor do I want to. But with such an intimate, multifaceted topic like the Goliath that is capital M MOTHERHOOD, I have to acknowledge (even if just to myself) the limits of my own perspective.
So. The story.
Lara and Will are happily married and child-free. Lara's just never had the urge, and the two of them are already a complete family. To paraphrase Lara herself, she doesn't have a biological clock - all her clocks are digital, meticulously ticking the progression of their lives and of Lara's career.
But as her late thirties approaches, she starts feeling differently. It's not a case of "oh, you'll change your mind," in the stereotypical sense. But the longer Lara considers it, the more motherhood appeals to her. She's already achieved career accolades and financial stability. Why not try for a baby?
But fertility turns out to be harder to grasp - miscarriages, IVF, injections, and mommy-to-be message boards. Lara WANTS motherhood, is willing to endure needles and endless medical bills to achieve it.
And finally, finally it happens for them. They have a healthy baby girl.
So why isn't Lara happy?
She told herself that over and over, hour after hour each day.
Youwantedthisyouwantedthisyouwantedthisyouwantedthis.
Lara is a hard character to like. She is judgy and sharp, about other mothers, her own family, her doctors. But she's not completely unlikable, just single minded and adverse to challenges to her expectations. I may not like her much as a character, but I was able to sympathize with her nonetheless. Through her endless desire for motherhood, to her total disconnect from her screaming infant, I felt genuinely invested in her. And I think there's a strong case to be made that Lara was struggling with some type of preexisting anxiety disorder and would have benefited from therapy, even before bringing postpartum depression into the equation.
My one significant complaint about the book is the ending. It felt abrupt - there's some interesting breakthroughs and character moments happening, then it just...stops? And I guess, rereading the final pages, I can see how it's an okay enough ending. But I don't want my endings to be "okay enough." I wanted more, dammit.
Overall, The Unprotected succeeds as an intimate character study and an emotional exploration of motherhood and mental illness.
Thanks to Skyhorse and Edelweiss for the review copy!
April 24, 2017
I didn’t know it going in but this book takes place in my hometown of Richmond, VA and that made it all the more special to me. I could envision each and every thing in an entirely different way because I could see the places and things she describes. Yay, Richmond!
This is a very in depth exploration of motherhood – the quest for motherhood as well as the reality of motherhood. I resonated a lot with this story in part due to my own difficulty getting pregnant and my own experience after giving birth to my twins. This book did a great job at describing those experiences in a way that felt real to me as someone who has experienced them myself. It is brutal, raw, and real.
The character, Lara, isn’t particularly easy to like in many ways. She is definitely flawed and we explore every facet of those flaws throughout the book. Although I wouldn’t say that I related to her, I did understand where she was coming from and why she reacts the way she does. I didn’t need to like her to find her story compelling. In many ways, her inner arrogance about everything is what we see unfold as the story moves forward. I mostly felt sad for her, to know how disappointing it can be to finally get your wish and find that it’s nothing like you’d dreamed. There is a real rawness to this character and her experiences.
If you want to read a book that will help you understand what it is to yearn for a baby when your body isn’t cooperating, this book will deliver. If you want to read a book that will give you a realistic view of how life changes when a baby arrives, this book will deliver. If you want a book about how lovely it is to have a baby and how wonderful it all is, this book will disappoint. All in all, I definitely recommend this one. I was surprised by just how real it felt and how much it made me FEEL.
** Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. **
This is a very in depth exploration of motherhood – the quest for motherhood as well as the reality of motherhood. I resonated a lot with this story in part due to my own difficulty getting pregnant and my own experience after giving birth to my twins. This book did a great job at describing those experiences in a way that felt real to me as someone who has experienced them myself. It is brutal, raw, and real.
The character, Lara, isn’t particularly easy to like in many ways. She is definitely flawed and we explore every facet of those flaws throughout the book. Although I wouldn’t say that I related to her, I did understand where she was coming from and why she reacts the way she does. I didn’t need to like her to find her story compelling. In many ways, her inner arrogance about everything is what we see unfold as the story moves forward. I mostly felt sad for her, to know how disappointing it can be to finally get your wish and find that it’s nothing like you’d dreamed. There is a real rawness to this character and her experiences.
If you want to read a book that will help you understand what it is to yearn for a baby when your body isn’t cooperating, this book will deliver. If you want to read a book that will give you a realistic view of how life changes when a baby arrives, this book will deliver. If you want a book about how lovely it is to have a baby and how wonderful it all is, this book will disappoint. All in all, I definitely recommend this one. I was surprised by just how real it felt and how much it made me FEEL.
** Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. **
April 6, 2017
via my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
"A baby is hardly an accomplishment. Any dumb mammal can give birth.”
From the beginning of the novel it’s obvious advertising executive, Lara doesn’t have fuzzy, warm feelings about motherhood, nor think much of women that sacrifice careers in exchange for a stay at home lifestyle. Looking down on her own sister Bea and her children (whose husband has just left) she sees failure, pitiful desperation, and a bottomless pit of need. The disgust she feels about motherhood couldn’t be more obvious. “Just like their mother, Bea insisted on blooming where planted no matter how poor the earth. Sloppy women making sloppy, reactive decisions.” Lara’s disdain carries a cruel perception about such women and so when it’s her turn imagine the bruises to her ego, the emotional chaos of having difficulty trying to conceive, failing at what ‘any dumb mammal’ can do with ease.
Her father’s death is the driving force behind her decision. A woman who has always wanted to be successful and hardworking, she never expected to be such a failure at pregnancy. What should be an easy ‘task’, getting pregnant becomes a road of struggle and loss with IVF treatments and horrible miscarriages. Between the hormones and shock of her crashing hopes, she finally succeeds and gives birth to a baby girl, Auden. Just when it seems all will be well, she finds that motherhood doesn’t doesn’t suit her. In fact, she is living a nightmarish existence.
No one ever tells a woman that bonding might not come naturally, that not all babies are rosy cheeked, smiling bundles of delight. Something is off, Auden cries non-stop, Lara can’t seem to find a moment of peace nor get enough rest. She feels like the worst mother in the world and what should draw a husband and wife closer together seems to be the wedge between Will and Lara. Lara is falling into a dark hole, disturbing thoughts are consuming her mind, and she may well be a danger to herself, or the family she put so much effort into creating. She can’t find solid ground, she is clinging to life like a madwoman and no one can see she needs help, desperately. Human lives are not a business, there is no other way to truly learn how to be a ‘good’ mother without being thrown into it, but when your emotional state is off kilter it’s downright frightening. When Lara comes to the end of her sanity (it seems) she has a decision to make, but will it be one of salvation or horror?
Lara isn’t likable from the start as she looks down upon mothers but she is an honest portrayal of what certain women feel. Hard to take, but honest. Sokol takes the most intimate time in any woman’s life (pregnancy, motherhood) and exposes the painful reality that overtakes many women, something that feels shameful, especially for women that have always been successful and never asked for help. The world has expectations of how a new mother, any mother actually, should behave and feel but what happens when she needs help and is too ashamed or lost to realize it? This isn’t an easy read, and you join the downward spiral Lara is on. When someone breaks, how can others hear it if they don’t understand it themselves? This is the ugly side, the unspoken terror some new mothers face. Will she get help in time?
Publication Date: April 25, 2017
Skyhorse Publishing
"A baby is hardly an accomplishment. Any dumb mammal can give birth.”
From the beginning of the novel it’s obvious advertising executive, Lara doesn’t have fuzzy, warm feelings about motherhood, nor think much of women that sacrifice careers in exchange for a stay at home lifestyle. Looking down on her own sister Bea and her children (whose husband has just left) she sees failure, pitiful desperation, and a bottomless pit of need. The disgust she feels about motherhood couldn’t be more obvious. “Just like their mother, Bea insisted on blooming where planted no matter how poor the earth. Sloppy women making sloppy, reactive decisions.” Lara’s disdain carries a cruel perception about such women and so when it’s her turn imagine the bruises to her ego, the emotional chaos of having difficulty trying to conceive, failing at what ‘any dumb mammal’ can do with ease.
Her father’s death is the driving force behind her decision. A woman who has always wanted to be successful and hardworking, she never expected to be such a failure at pregnancy. What should be an easy ‘task’, getting pregnant becomes a road of struggle and loss with IVF treatments and horrible miscarriages. Between the hormones and shock of her crashing hopes, she finally succeeds and gives birth to a baby girl, Auden. Just when it seems all will be well, she finds that motherhood doesn’t doesn’t suit her. In fact, she is living a nightmarish existence.
No one ever tells a woman that bonding might not come naturally, that not all babies are rosy cheeked, smiling bundles of delight. Something is off, Auden cries non-stop, Lara can’t seem to find a moment of peace nor get enough rest. She feels like the worst mother in the world and what should draw a husband and wife closer together seems to be the wedge between Will and Lara. Lara is falling into a dark hole, disturbing thoughts are consuming her mind, and she may well be a danger to herself, or the family she put so much effort into creating. She can’t find solid ground, she is clinging to life like a madwoman and no one can see she needs help, desperately. Human lives are not a business, there is no other way to truly learn how to be a ‘good’ mother without being thrown into it, but when your emotional state is off kilter it’s downright frightening. When Lara comes to the end of her sanity (it seems) she has a decision to make, but will it be one of salvation or horror?
Lara isn’t likable from the start as she looks down upon mothers but she is an honest portrayal of what certain women feel. Hard to take, but honest. Sokol takes the most intimate time in any woman’s life (pregnancy, motherhood) and exposes the painful reality that overtakes many women, something that feels shameful, especially for women that have always been successful and never asked for help. The world has expectations of how a new mother, any mother actually, should behave and feel but what happens when she needs help and is too ashamed or lost to realize it? This isn’t an easy read, and you join the downward spiral Lara is on. When someone breaks, how can others hear it if they don’t understand it themselves? This is the ugly side, the unspoken terror some new mothers face. Will she get help in time?
Publication Date: April 25, 2017
Skyhorse Publishing
April 19, 2017
The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol is highly recommended women's literary fiction.
Lara James is a ad executive with a thriving career and a husband she adores. After her father's death she devotes herself even more fully to her career and marries her husband, Will, a college professor her father knew. The two are immediately attracted to each other. They both devote themselves to their careers and each other for several years, until Lara surprises them both by wanting a child. Getting pregnant doesn't come easy, though, and Lara and Will have to endure years of treatments and miscarriages until she finally becomes pregnant. When their daughter Auden is born, though, being a mother isn't as tranquil and calm as Lara thought it would be.
The Unprotected is well written and will draw you into the story right away. The novel is also well-paced; I read the book in one sitting and was engaged through the whole book. Sokol does a nice job developing Lara's character. She's obnoxious in many ways, but you will see her behavior patterns as being consistent with her personality. The infertility problems and miscarriages had me feeling desperately sorry for her pain. When her daughter is born and she spirals into postpartum depression, again, I felt her pain.
So, basically, I like The Unprotected, but there are two glaring problems with it. First Lara is not always a very sympathetic character. It's difficult to feel compassion for her over her infertility and then postpartum depression because she is portrayed as being so uncharitable to other women not on her career path and so incredibly perfect. The only way you can manage this is to draw on personal experiences, your own experience or ones shared with you from your own circle of family and friends. Since so many women have experienced both of these, gathering up empathy for her was relatively easy, despite her difficult personality.
The second flaw overwhelms what the theme of the novel was supposed to be, postpartum depression, according to the synopsis, in my opinion. The Unprotected portrays Lara as a career-minded woman who doesn't want children, but changes her mind in her late thirties. This is easily understood by many women. Then we go through her miscarriages and subsequent infertility treatments. I'm assuming that Sokol wanted to show how much Lara wanted a child before she actually had one. So many women endure the pain and loss from miscarriages and fertility problems that Lara's struggles with this seemed like it could easily carry the narrative of the book. When she finally gets pregnant, we rush through the pregnancy to her postpartum depression. Then we endure her suffering with a colicky baby and no relief. Again, many women have suffered from postpartum depression and didn't have the ability or foresight to ask for help. In my opinion, the book would have been stronger had it focused on one overriding problem - either the infertility and miscarriages, which devastate many woman but are rarely talked about, or her postpartum depression, which many woman also suffer through silently.
The Unprotected still deserves a good rating but could have benefited from a tighter focus. (Also, ignore the comparison to We Need to Talk About Kevin.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
Lara James is a ad executive with a thriving career and a husband she adores. After her father's death she devotes herself even more fully to her career and marries her husband, Will, a college professor her father knew. The two are immediately attracted to each other. They both devote themselves to their careers and each other for several years, until Lara surprises them both by wanting a child. Getting pregnant doesn't come easy, though, and Lara and Will have to endure years of treatments and miscarriages until she finally becomes pregnant. When their daughter Auden is born, though, being a mother isn't as tranquil and calm as Lara thought it would be.
The Unprotected is well written and will draw you into the story right away. The novel is also well-paced; I read the book in one sitting and was engaged through the whole book. Sokol does a nice job developing Lara's character. She's obnoxious in many ways, but you will see her behavior patterns as being consistent with her personality. The infertility problems and miscarriages had me feeling desperately sorry for her pain. When her daughter is born and she spirals into postpartum depression, again, I felt her pain.
So, basically, I like The Unprotected, but there are two glaring problems with it. First Lara is not always a very sympathetic character. It's difficult to feel compassion for her over her infertility and then postpartum depression because she is portrayed as being so uncharitable to other women not on her career path and so incredibly perfect. The only way you can manage this is to draw on personal experiences, your own experience or ones shared with you from your own circle of family and friends. Since so many women have experienced both of these, gathering up empathy for her was relatively easy, despite her difficult personality.
The second flaw overwhelms what the theme of the novel was supposed to be, postpartum depression, according to the synopsis, in my opinion. The Unprotected portrays Lara as a career-minded woman who doesn't want children, but changes her mind in her late thirties. This is easily understood by many women. Then we go through her miscarriages and subsequent infertility treatments. I'm assuming that Sokol wanted to show how much Lara wanted a child before she actually had one. So many women endure the pain and loss from miscarriages and fertility problems that Lara's struggles with this seemed like it could easily carry the narrative of the book. When she finally gets pregnant, we rush through the pregnancy to her postpartum depression. Then we endure her suffering with a colicky baby and no relief. Again, many women have suffered from postpartum depression and didn't have the ability or foresight to ask for help. In my opinion, the book would have been stronger had it focused on one overriding problem - either the infertility and miscarriages, which devastate many woman but are rarely talked about, or her postpartum depression, which many woman also suffer through silently.
The Unprotected still deserves a good rating but could have benefited from a tighter focus. (Also, ignore the comparison to We Need to Talk About Kevin.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/0...
April 4, 2017
Lara James hadn’t thought she wanted a child. She had a successful career and a loving husband. But all of that changes when her father dies and her maternal instinct sets in. Now she longs for a child more than anything else but her body doesn’t agree. She and her husband go through years of fertility treatments until they’re almost ready to give up, but then they’re blessed with the birth of a daughter, Auden. But as they say, be careful what you wish for. Auden never stops crying and Lara is losing her mind.
This is a brutally raw, honest book about motherhood. In fact at times I thought it might indeed be too raw and might be very discouraging to a young woman looking forward to having a family. But not all women experience postpartum depression and, while the book never actually named what was happening to Lara, it was quite obvious that she was not well and that more than a crying baby was bringing her down and causing such desperation in her. Since there is great shame attached to not being able to “handle being a mother”, many women try to hide their anguish and difficulties, much as Lara did. She looked around at other mothers and felt like there was something lacking in her. This is a very necessary book that was a tough read but I hope will encourage women who find themselves in Lara’s position to seek help. The author has written an emotional, heart pounding and brave book.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
This is a brutally raw, honest book about motherhood. In fact at times I thought it might indeed be too raw and might be very discouraging to a young woman looking forward to having a family. But not all women experience postpartum depression and, while the book never actually named what was happening to Lara, it was quite obvious that she was not well and that more than a crying baby was bringing her down and causing such desperation in her. Since there is great shame attached to not being able to “handle being a mother”, many women try to hide their anguish and difficulties, much as Lara did. She looked around at other mothers and felt like there was something lacking in her. This is a very necessary book that was a tough read but I hope will encourage women who find themselves in Lara’s position to seek help. The author has written an emotional, heart pounding and brave book.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
July 4, 2017
I gave it three stars because I kept reading to the end, but Lara really was unlikable and the writing style was forced. I felt the author getting between me and Lara several times when she started writing in short, choppy prose. It was very distracting.
Also, Lara was hard to like. Even when she was struggling, I just wanted to scream, "It's always been about YOU and now it's NOT anymore! Get over it!" But I understand postpartum depression intimately, so I know it's not logical or rational. But the kind of person she was before she had the baby kind of set it up for her to fall and fall hard.
Also, Lara was hard to like. Even when she was struggling, I just wanted to scream, "It's always been about YOU and now it's NOT anymore! Get over it!" But I understand postpartum depression intimately, so I know it's not logical or rational. But the kind of person she was before she had the baby kind of set it up for her to fall and fall hard.
August 30, 2017
The journey that Lara goes through to get to motherhood is rough and unexpected, and then when she finally has what she thinks she wants, she finds motherhood itself to be markedly different than she anticipated. She becomes someone she never imagined and struggles to find a way back to some semblance of herself.
Wow. There is actually a great deal to unpack here. Maybe the intent of this book was to highlight the realities of postpartum depression (PPD), but I feel that is vastly oversimplifying. Admittedly, this might be because there are many parallels between Lara’s experience and my own, so this book made me feel all the feelings. That made empathizing with Lara easy, even on the occasions when I didn’t share her feelings or perspective (and trust me, there were times I found her profoundly unlikeable). It also made me react emotionally at certain parts of the book that just hit too close to home. Even when I didn’t like her, I felt a comradery with Lara that made me a little protective when things started to go bad at the end.
The truth is, I’m struggling to review the book rather than write an essay comparing my experience with Lara’s. Which speaks volumes for the authentic voice and tone of the book. There were a few details about the infertility process that didn’t jive with my experience (as is often the case on television shows where they never seem to even try to get it right), but I fought back my irritation, reasoning that maybe they do things differently in other parts of the country. There were times where her husband Will made me want to break things, but that’s mostly because his reactions were painfully familiar. See? Authentic. And her attitude towards motherhood in the beginning was irritating. I’ve got no issues with women choosing not to have children, and I don’t even care why. But ridiculing others for their procreation choices while being insulted when they ridicule yours? That’s called hypocrisy, my dear. But also? Pretty authentic. ;)
**************MINOR SPOILER ALERTS**************
Two points of contention: I think this representation of postpartum depression (PPD) is pretty severe towards the end. Not saying it can’t get that bad (I’m no doctor, as I assume you all know), I just don’t think that hallucinations and violence are typical for most sufferers of PPD. In fact, I don’t think it’s appropriate, given the severity, to label it postpartum depression. It seems more like postpartum psychosis to me, which much more severe and pretty uncommon. Also, having suffered through infertility myself, and having participated pretty heavily in the virtual infertility community during those years, I’d like to point out that the majority of people who are struggling to get pregnant don’t go around trying to walk off with other people’s babies. This is a perverse and unfair distortion. That Lara did something so unstable prior to getting pregnant tells me she likely already had severe mental health issues that needed addressing, and given that behavior, her postpartum mental health issues shouldn’t be a surprise.
**********SAFETY ZONE (NO MORE SPOILERS)*********
At the end of the day, I found the book to be really well written , and with few exceptions, an honest – and painful – portrayal of the challenges of infertility and postpartum depression (or psychosis). From the strains on her marriage to her mixed feelings about her baby, to the judgement she felt coming from every direction about every decision she made about her family, it all felt a little like I was walking backwards in time, experiencing it all again. I can’t say how someone with none of these experiences will process this book. It is fiction, but taken with a grain of salt, it could be very enlightening. For those who have been some of the places Lara has been, it might be a bit too painful and sometimes frustrating, but also quite validating, too. Either way, a book worth reading.
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley/Edelwiess. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.
Wow. There is actually a great deal to unpack here. Maybe the intent of this book was to highlight the realities of postpartum depression (PPD), but I feel that is vastly oversimplifying. Admittedly, this might be because there are many parallels between Lara’s experience and my own, so this book made me feel all the feelings. That made empathizing with Lara easy, even on the occasions when I didn’t share her feelings or perspective (and trust me, there were times I found her profoundly unlikeable). It also made me react emotionally at certain parts of the book that just hit too close to home. Even when I didn’t like her, I felt a comradery with Lara that made me a little protective when things started to go bad at the end.
The truth is, I’m struggling to review the book rather than write an essay comparing my experience with Lara’s. Which speaks volumes for the authentic voice and tone of the book. There were a few details about the infertility process that didn’t jive with my experience (as is often the case on television shows where they never seem to even try to get it right), but I fought back my irritation, reasoning that maybe they do things differently in other parts of the country. There were times where her husband Will made me want to break things, but that’s mostly because his reactions were painfully familiar. See? Authentic. And her attitude towards motherhood in the beginning was irritating. I’ve got no issues with women choosing not to have children, and I don’t even care why. But ridiculing others for their procreation choices while being insulted when they ridicule yours? That’s called hypocrisy, my dear. But also? Pretty authentic. ;)
**************MINOR SPOILER ALERTS**************
Two points of contention: I think this representation of postpartum depression (PPD) is pretty severe towards the end. Not saying it can’t get that bad (I’m no doctor, as I assume you all know), I just don’t think that hallucinations and violence are typical for most sufferers of PPD. In fact, I don’t think it’s appropriate, given the severity, to label it postpartum depression. It seems more like postpartum psychosis to me, which much more severe and pretty uncommon. Also, having suffered through infertility myself, and having participated pretty heavily in the virtual infertility community during those years, I’d like to point out that the majority of people who are struggling to get pregnant don’t go around trying to walk off with other people’s babies. This is a perverse and unfair distortion. That Lara did something so unstable prior to getting pregnant tells me she likely already had severe mental health issues that needed addressing, and given that behavior, her postpartum mental health issues shouldn’t be a surprise.
**********SAFETY ZONE (NO MORE SPOILERS)*********
At the end of the day, I found the book to be really well written , and with few exceptions, an honest – and painful – portrayal of the challenges of infertility and postpartum depression (or psychosis). From the strains on her marriage to her mixed feelings about her baby, to the judgement she felt coming from every direction about every decision she made about her family, it all felt a little like I was walking backwards in time, experiencing it all again. I can’t say how someone with none of these experiences will process this book. It is fiction, but taken with a grain of salt, it could be very enlightening. For those who have been some of the places Lara has been, it might be a bit too painful and sometimes frustrating, but also quite validating, too. Either way, a book worth reading.
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley/Edelwiess. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.
December 6, 2024
An account on parenting, this book follows the dark side of the three phases of bearing a child: chasing a pregnancy that doesn't come naturally, pregnancy itself and early motherhood.
Written in a sharp, literary and rather current style, this sounds so honest and true it almost doesn't read like fiction.
A childless man myself with no interest whatsoever in fathering children, I nevertheless kept my interest throughout the novel which told me about a reality that might not always be so pink as they paint it.
Shocking and disturbing at parts, unnerving at others, it should probably be read by every couple prior to embarking on such an adventure.
In the end one finds oneself wondering about the miracle of life one tends to take for granted.
I would however have enjoyed it much more if it wasn't for the sinopsis on the inside cover which was really a neat little summary of the whole plot, leaving nothing out to surprise the reader.
If you can manage it, avoid reading those few lines.
Written in a sharp, literary and rather current style, this sounds so honest and true it almost doesn't read like fiction.
A childless man myself with no interest whatsoever in fathering children, I nevertheless kept my interest throughout the novel which told me about a reality that might not always be so pink as they paint it.
Shocking and disturbing at parts, unnerving at others, it should probably be read by every couple prior to embarking on such an adventure.
In the end one finds oneself wondering about the miracle of life one tends to take for granted.
I would however have enjoyed it much more if it wasn't for the sinopsis on the inside cover which was really a neat little summary of the whole plot, leaving nothing out to surprise the reader.
If you can manage it, avoid reading those few lines.
June 1, 2019
Full disclosure, I know the author from her Fiction Writers Studio at the Muse Writers Center. Fortunate, because otherwise I would not have discovered this intimate portrayal of a driven woman's challenging personal journey through infertility, pregnancy, birth, and post-partum reality--none of which fit her pre-conceived molds. Fathers and aspiring fathers can gain valuable insight and understanding from this book.
April 1, 2017
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication. This was a great book and I so nearly gave it five stars but for me, there is one glaring reason why I can't. Why does the author insist on including so many sex scenes and sexual references?! Long before Lara and Will begin trying for a baby we are treated to scenes which just aren't necessary. I'm not a prude by any means but I do think in written word that less is more and that leading the reader to know that the couple are going to make love is enough without describing errections. Seriously, no one can do that without it sounding a bit creepy. I nearly decided to stop reading but decided to keep going as the subject matter is so close to my heart. Thankfully the scenes became fewer, or less over described or I became immune to the feeling that a 12 year old gets when they realise their parents have sex which is what the scenes reminded me of!!
Sadly I can identify with so much of what Lara went through. Although I already had 3 children, when I started trying to conceive my youngest child I went through 3 miscarriages and 3 years of obsessing, living on ttc forums and trying every old wives tales I heard of. Grapefruit juice and Brazil nuts anyone?
And while thankfully that eventually resulted in my wonderful daughter and a happy babyhood for us both, I suffered severe post natal depression after the birth of my first child and so could identify with that part of Lara's story too.
While this book may be impossible for women who are in those moments to read, I think women like me, who have come out the other side will love this book and the validation it gives. I met many people, women as well as men who sought to minimise the heartbreak of my miscarriages and the struggle to get pregnant and it is an incredibly lonely place to be.
I found the character of Will harder to connect with but in this instance that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I wanted to be focussed on Lara because it was Lara bearing the brunt of the pain, suffering and relentlessness of it all. In a way it highlighted how together a couple makes a baby but how physically, the woman's body copes with growing that baby, birthing it, suffering from the related hormones and then feeding the baby with her own milk.
Lara's ability to act 'normal' and seem to cope with parties, play dates, giving a jolly report to Will of their day's activities is perfect, totally, totally accurate from my description.
I will definitely read anything else this author writes or has written.
Reflecting on the title, the unprotected is the psyche, an embryo, a mother struggling with her first child when her partner goes back to work, the baby of a severely depressed mother? It covers so many things and more and can mean something very different to every reader I think.
Sadly I can identify with so much of what Lara went through. Although I already had 3 children, when I started trying to conceive my youngest child I went through 3 miscarriages and 3 years of obsessing, living on ttc forums and trying every old wives tales I heard of. Grapefruit juice and Brazil nuts anyone?
And while thankfully that eventually resulted in my wonderful daughter and a happy babyhood for us both, I suffered severe post natal depression after the birth of my first child and so could identify with that part of Lara's story too.
While this book may be impossible for women who are in those moments to read, I think women like me, who have come out the other side will love this book and the validation it gives. I met many people, women as well as men who sought to minimise the heartbreak of my miscarriages and the struggle to get pregnant and it is an incredibly lonely place to be.
I found the character of Will harder to connect with but in this instance that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I wanted to be focussed on Lara because it was Lara bearing the brunt of the pain, suffering and relentlessness of it all. In a way it highlighted how together a couple makes a baby but how physically, the woman's body copes with growing that baby, birthing it, suffering from the related hormones and then feeding the baby with her own milk.
Lara's ability to act 'normal' and seem to cope with parties, play dates, giving a jolly report to Will of their day's activities is perfect, totally, totally accurate from my description.
I will definitely read anything else this author writes or has written.
Reflecting on the title, the unprotected is the psyche, an embryo, a mother struggling with her first child when her partner goes back to work, the baby of a severely depressed mother? It covers so many things and more and can mean something very different to every reader I think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2022
Kelly Sokol’s The Unprotected is as compelling as it is terrifying. There is a looming sense that something Awful is going to happen but no hint of what or to whom. The recent surge of literary attention to the horrors of postpartum depression certainly validates my having opted for childlessness, but also provides insight into what some of my friends who have chosen otherwise have experienced. Of the books on this theme The Unprotected is the best I’ve read so far, although it could have been improved, I think, by a cutting out some of the many reminders/examples of how much Lara wants a baby, how disappointed she is by every non or failed pregnancy, etc. Readers can grow impatient to get to the point.
That said, I think it’s an excellent book and I highly recommend it to readers who can handle the tension.
That said, I think it’s an excellent book and I highly recommend it to readers who can handle the tension.
September 30, 2017
I remember making lists of all the books I would read when I went on maternity leave; home-improvement projects, too. Eighteen years later, the list is still mostly untouched. Misconceptions such as these are mild compared to the ones Lara James, who enters Momdom after a harrowing struggle, faces in this shockingly honest and painful depiction of infertility, motherhood, and postpartum psychosis.
Sokol captures, in ways that are alternately lyrical and jarring, Lara’s sense of isolation, loss of self, and disorientating flip from perfectionistic control to paralyzing self-doubt.
Many passages were so vivid and heart wrenching that I put the book down, for a moment, to collect myself. But I always picked it back up…
Sokol captures, in ways that are alternately lyrical and jarring, Lara’s sense of isolation, loss of self, and disorientating flip from perfectionistic control to paralyzing self-doubt.
Many passages were so vivid and heart wrenching that I put the book down, for a moment, to collect myself. But I always picked it back up…
July 5, 2017
I am so glad that I'm done. That was depressing as hell. None of the characters were likeable but Lara was the absolute worst. I had zero sympathy for her as she was always complaining about something, being completely self-serving and judgemental. I don't understand the dying father storyline as it really didn't have anything to do with the majority of the book. While I'm being completely nitpicky I'll add that having two good friends named Kathy and Karen was so hard to keep straight. You really couldn't have picked a different name?
October 3, 2017
Really hard to read and I wanted to be sympathetic to this womens plights, but it was just too depressing. That's not to say that women go thru all the his character did, but I didn't want to read it without any letup, until the very end, maybe.
September 28, 2017
pretty good and the anxiety coming off of every page was palpable.
May 15, 2017
Very fitting that I finished reading this book on Mother's Day. It stirs up the millions of emotions that come with deciding to have a child, anticipating the arrival of a child, and learning to live with the responsibilities of raising one. This book may not appeal to the faint of heart because it is very honest and raw . . . but so is motherhood. What women want out of life changes along the way just as it did far Lara, and oftentimes we are not prepared (the whole "be careful what you wish for" thing). Nothing anyone ever said properly prepared me for being a mom and it's not all flowers and sunshine every day. But part of the deal is figuring it out as you go and learning to lean on people, which I hope Lara learns to do as well.
Excellent writing and great debut novel from Kelly Sokol.
Excellent writing and great debut novel from Kelly Sokol.
February 23, 2020
This book was an interesting journey. Lara is desperate to have a child with her husband, Will. What follows is an all too relatable experience of hormone therapy, IVF and disappointments.
Although I felt the content was hard hitting and relevant, I was frustrated by the characters in the book. The husband was unsupportive, the mother absent, the best friend was distant and Lara herself was difficult to like. I preserved with it because I kept waiting for the part where the story, characters and theme would come together but was left feeling ripped off.
Although I felt the content was hard hitting and relevant, I was frustrated by the characters in the book. The husband was unsupportive, the mother absent, the best friend was distant and Lara herself was difficult to like. I preserved with it because I kept waiting for the part where the story, characters and theme would come together but was left feeling ripped off.
June 1, 2017
I am not sure why I stuck with this book. It plodded along and I kept hoping it would get better. Lara is a successful advertising executive with a professor husband. She decides in her late thirties that she wants a child. Years of infertility and miscarriages finally result in a baby. However, it is not the easy life that she envisioned. This is one to skip. I should have used my reading time more wisely.
August 12, 2024
I wasn't all that thrilled as a whole with this one. 6 out of the first 9 chapters was whining over not being able to conceive and then the last 12-13 chapters of how she couldn't stand her own kid. I suffered from PPD myself and can say yes, there were some good insights brought in for those that want to know what it's like as a new mom. I just felt that there was no real climax to the story, very linear and long winded.
October 16, 2021
I am a sucker for beautiful writing and this book has that and so much more. A story that doesn't shy away from the "not necessarily happily ever after" of having a baby, it explores universal themes of marriage and family and the truth that can be found in accepting the good and bad in both.
September 22, 2017
Simply not for me; I did not find it as engaging as I expected.
June 13, 2021
This book is well written.
Its very good in capturing the mental health issues.
Highly recommend.
Its very good in capturing the mental health issues.
Highly recommend.
May 2, 2022
Loved this book. Cannot wait to read Breach!
August 7, 2025
wonderful read, sad, happy, heartfelt and moving. really could feel for the main character in this story
February 22, 2017
This was not what I thought it would be. I kept reading, plugging along, thinking it would get better. I'm the wrong age for this novel, I expect. An entire novel devoted to infertility and a colicky baby was just tiresome. I think the characters were unrealistic and unlikeable.
October 21, 2017
Just skip to Chapter Twelve and read from there.
Lara is not an Every Woman, although she has a common story, half of which could've been edited down. (For shame to the editors anyhow.) And lyrical? No. The writing is not lyrical, more like the reading of someone's journal entries.
Disappointing, to say the least, simply because the subject matter is so important. You'd think as a new mom with a father that just died during my own pregnancy, that this book would speak to me on a deeper level. NOPE.
While there were moments where I simply nodded in total empathy to the situation, there was no empathy for Lara as a person, a character. She was unlikable for so many reasons, and nothing redeemed her, (regardless of her PPD).
And, I'm not sure I appreciated a story structure where the beginning focuses on an unnecessary father relationship that we could've glistened from the narrative anyway, to jamming in a tale of infertility, to then a depressed and regretful mother, that then encounters a possibly abusive doctor, AND has no one in her family or friends that remotely says anything close to empathetic.
Who the hell is Lara? Who the hell is Will? How does PPD affect parents and parenting? These questions are not answered, in my opinion. Simply spun about in an annoying manner, like a bad Lifetime movie.
Lara is not an Every Woman, although she has a common story, half of which could've been edited down. (For shame to the editors anyhow.) And lyrical? No. The writing is not lyrical, more like the reading of someone's journal entries.
Disappointing, to say the least, simply because the subject matter is so important. You'd think as a new mom with a father that just died during my own pregnancy, that this book would speak to me on a deeper level. NOPE.
While there were moments where I simply nodded in total empathy to the situation, there was no empathy for Lara as a person, a character. She was unlikable for so many reasons, and nothing redeemed her, (regardless of her PPD).
And, I'm not sure I appreciated a story structure where the beginning focuses on an unnecessary father relationship that we could've glistened from the narrative anyway, to jamming in a tale of infertility, to then a depressed and regretful mother, that then encounters a possibly abusive doctor, AND has no one in her family or friends that remotely says anything close to empathetic.
Who the hell is Lara? Who the hell is Will? How does PPD affect parents and parenting? These questions are not answered, in my opinion. Simply spun about in an annoying manner, like a bad Lifetime movie.
April 17, 2017
The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol is a starkly honest depiction of infertility and postpartum depression.
Lara James is a driven career advertising executive who never thought she would want to have children. At one time rather dismissive of her friends and family with kids, she shocks her husband Will with her sudden announcement she wants to have a baby. Pursuing pregnancy with the same single-minded focus that helped her achieve professional success, Lara is ill-prepared for a four year battle with infertility. Cautiously optimistic when she is finally pregnant, she is soon writing a detailed birth plan while designing the baby's nursery and discussing baby names. Making a completely unexpected decision to give up her career in order to be a stay at home mom, Lara is completely stunned by the reality of sleep deprivation and a colicky baby who cries for hours on end. Even more shocking is her increasingly downward spiral of exhaustion, frightening thoughts and lack of bonding with her newborn baby.
Lara is not an easy character to like. Her relationship with her mom is contentious and she has absolutely no patience with her at all. She is rude and condescending to her sister, Bea, and she never hesitates to let her know her opinion about Bea's decision to marry and have kids. Lara is a steamroller who does not take other people's feelings or viewpoint into consideration. This attitude extends to her husband Will and she refuses to give up on getting pregnant despite the toll her infertility and treatments are taking on their marriage. She is also a little sly and devious as she becomes obsessed with her quest to become pregnant.
Despite her fertility problems, Lara's pregnancy is rather easy and without complications. Her childbirth experience is not what she expected or planned for, and things continue to go downhill once she is released from the hospital with baby Auden. Exhausted and in pain, Lara struggles with breastfeeding and things worsens as Will quickly returns to work, leaving her and Auden on their own. As the situation continues to deteriorate, her fears about what would happen if she were to reveal some of her worst thoughts are understandable. However, it is somewhat incomprehensible that an intelligent, well-educated woman would not confide just how bad things are becoming. Will also carries his share of the blame for failing to recognize his wife's exhaustion and understandable frustration with Auden's inconsolable crying.
The Unprotected is a realistic portrayal of the shame and fear women experience when motherhood takes a dark turn. Kelly Sokol does not downplay the alarming symptoms of postpartum depression and while she shines a much needed light on this little discussed topic, it is not easy reading about Lara's increasingly disturbing downward spiral. A tough read but one I highly recommend.
Lara James is a driven career advertising executive who never thought she would want to have children. At one time rather dismissive of her friends and family with kids, she shocks her husband Will with her sudden announcement she wants to have a baby. Pursuing pregnancy with the same single-minded focus that helped her achieve professional success, Lara is ill-prepared for a four year battle with infertility. Cautiously optimistic when she is finally pregnant, she is soon writing a detailed birth plan while designing the baby's nursery and discussing baby names. Making a completely unexpected decision to give up her career in order to be a stay at home mom, Lara is completely stunned by the reality of sleep deprivation and a colicky baby who cries for hours on end. Even more shocking is her increasingly downward spiral of exhaustion, frightening thoughts and lack of bonding with her newborn baby.
Lara is not an easy character to like. Her relationship with her mom is contentious and she has absolutely no patience with her at all. She is rude and condescending to her sister, Bea, and she never hesitates to let her know her opinion about Bea's decision to marry and have kids. Lara is a steamroller who does not take other people's feelings or viewpoint into consideration. This attitude extends to her husband Will and she refuses to give up on getting pregnant despite the toll her infertility and treatments are taking on their marriage. She is also a little sly and devious as she becomes obsessed with her quest to become pregnant.
Despite her fertility problems, Lara's pregnancy is rather easy and without complications. Her childbirth experience is not what she expected or planned for, and things continue to go downhill once she is released from the hospital with baby Auden. Exhausted and in pain, Lara struggles with breastfeeding and things worsens as Will quickly returns to work, leaving her and Auden on their own. As the situation continues to deteriorate, her fears about what would happen if she were to reveal some of her worst thoughts are understandable. However, it is somewhat incomprehensible that an intelligent, well-educated woman would not confide just how bad things are becoming. Will also carries his share of the blame for failing to recognize his wife's exhaustion and understandable frustration with Auden's inconsolable crying.
The Unprotected is a realistic portrayal of the shame and fear women experience when motherhood takes a dark turn. Kelly Sokol does not downplay the alarming symptoms of postpartum depression and while she shines a much needed light on this little discussed topic, it is not easy reading about Lara's increasingly disturbing downward spiral. A tough read but one I highly recommend.
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