As I know Renard Press have the most amazing books, when Will asked if I’d like to read and review another of their publications, Fledging, by Rose Diell, I was delighted to accept. It’s my pleasure to share my review today.

Published by Renard Press on 28th August 2024, Fledging is available for purchase here.

Fledging

When Lia lays an egg she doesn’t know what to do. At her age, it’s impossible to escape the baby question, and all her friends seem to be having children. She feels her heart’s not in it – but all the same, there’s the egg, impossible to ignore, lying in a nest of towels in the living room.

Her partner on tour on the other side of the world and her mother diagnosed with a terminal illness, Lia finds herself torn, unsure whether she’s ready to give up on her songwriting dreams; but time is running out, and she must make one of the biggest decisions of her life.

Beautifully written and brilliantly original, Fledging is a riveting tale and resounding call for a woman’s right to make her own choices, whether that means embracing motherhood or living child-free.

My Review of Fledging

Lia has laid an egg.

Fledging is an incredible extended metaphor for motherhood and choice that is delivered with mesmerising skill in perfectly crafted prose by Rose Diell. I found it utterly fascinating. With the protagonist having given birth to an egg, the entire concept of the book is innovative and captivating.

Beautifully and yet sparcely written, there’s depth, allegory and enormous sensitivity in Fledging so that whilst this is a novella in length, there’s a profound intensity. Bird’s arrival causes Lia to question her attitudes to motherhood and allows her to make an informed decision about whether she wants to have a baby. As someone with absolutely no maternal instinct myself, I was riveted by Lia’s inability to separate herself from Bird and wondered just how the narrative might end. This is a story of choice, demands, and decision making, presented with skill and an emotional integrity.

As Lia’s own mother is unwell, the complexities of being potentially both parent and child, whilst trying to maintain a long distance relationship with David, hold down a job and develop her songwriting, ensure Lia feels so very true to life. Her predicament of being pulled in several directions at once and in trying to be all things to all people is a universal one so that Fledging feels as if it has been written for all women, regardless of their maternal desires. 

I loved the way Lia so often has to carry Bird like a physical burden, and yet when she is away from Bird, the tug of connection pulls at Lia’s emotions. Fledging is a narrative driven by turmoil, doubt and indecision, and it feels tender and compassionate so that it’s a highly affecting read. 

The themes of Fledging are important for today’s society and are explored here with mature intelligence. Guilt, choice, motherhood, relationships, professionalism, partnership, identity, family and societal expectation swirl around Lia’s looking after Bird, making for a story of thought-provoking significance and importance. This is book to generate discussion and wider of motherhood.

I found Fledging intense, relatable and essential reading for any woman contemplating motherhood but ambivalent about whether she really wants a child. Just don’t expect Rose Diell to make that decision for you because the powerful Fledging illustrates choice is personal and, frequently, inequitably decided so that every potential, actual, or denied, mother is as unique as this book. 

About Rose Diell

Rose Diell was born and raised in London but her heritage stems from various places beyond the British Isles. A lover of language in all its forms, she speaks French, Italian and Arabic, and has lived on three continents.

Rose writes in her spare time, with the encouragement and support of her writing circle, the Southbank Scribblers. She now lives in London again, with her civil partner and Tolstoy, an extremely fluffy ginger tabby.

For further information about Rose, visit her website, follow her on Twitter/X @RoseDiell or find Rose on Instagram.