I devoured this warm hug of a book over one weekend. It's a light read yet nuanced too - sensitively exploring a woman's decision to be child-free. But even when the future seems like no place for a child, there is always room for them in fiction set at the end of the world: they are emotional ammunition, a reminder of bigger stakes to come. In Lauren Beukes’s upcoming Afterland, a global pandemic that kills only men has lead to a “global reprohibition”; Cole, a mother on the run with her mysteriously still-living teenage son, thinks: “When there aren’t going to be any more kids, you want to hold on to their childhood for as long as you can. There must be a German word for that. Nostalgenfreude. Kindersucht.” Emma Gannon’s Olive takes the tried and tested formula and breathes new life into it with an examination of four female friends whose paths diverge after a close-knit college experience. The book’s protagonist is the titular Olive, whose first-person narrative focuses on her decision to not have a baby, or to be childfree by choice (CFC). The parallels with Dawn O’Porter’s recent novel The Cows are strong, though Olive’s pursuit of a childfree life sets Gannon’s debut apart. Other recent publications dealing with the same issue are Sheila Heti’s Motherhood, an intricate and more intellectual exploration of the subject, and Megham Daum’s collection of essays Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not to Have Kids. The latter is referenced in Olive, as are contemporary touchstones such as the Moth Storytelling Night, and a CFC event in Shoreditch inspired by its format. The loneliness and judgement Olive feels was understandable. I liked seeing how Emma Gannon didn't write the perfect female friendship but each of the four friends were flawed in their own ways, which gave the book a realistic take. But at the end of the day, I felt like 80% of Olive's problems could've been solved by speaking to her friends.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of Olive by Emma Gannon for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. The debut novel about the life-changing choices we makeabout careers, love, friendship, and motherhood from bestselling UK author Emma Gannon. I think so many women will see themselves in this book. I could definitely connect to that feeling of being "behind" and separate - the description of Olive being with a group of mothers feeling outside their bond and with nothing to contribute to the conversation is so perfect. We don't see characters like Olive in books or media and it's a breath of fresh air to have her here - it will mean a lot to many I'm sure. I absolutely LOVED reading Olive. I straight away felt so connected with the main character Olive, I felt a lot of compassion for her as she navigated her recent breakup and the disconnect she felt from her close friends who were either pregnant, had children or were trying for a child. This book really delves into the social construct that all women are expected to want children and if they don’t, something must be wrong with them or they will ultimately change their mind. As a woman who isn’t particularly maternal and has also never really felt the “buzz” of starting a family one day like some of my friends have since the age of 16, I could really see myself in Olive. This book really explores the issues women face, whether they want children or not, whether they can have children or not. Olive is so honest and real, showing how friendships can begin to break down when everyone grows up and starts wanting different things. How navigating adult life can be so difficult, especially when you aren’t hitting the ‘expected milestones’, which can make someone feel so isolated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and absolutely loved the ending which gave a peek into Olive and her friend’s futures, would definitely recommend!

Featured Reviews

This is going by their consistency in reviewing mediocre-to-astonishingly-bad books with universally positive – indeed glowing – epithets. Now, there’s a whole other essay to be written on how your outlook changes – at least in public – when you become a writer with writer friends. Certainly, if Emma Gannon was my friend, the strongest move I would make against her work is to damn it with faint praise. However, Gannon is not my friend, she is not a good writer, and this is not a good book. The main character is whiny, self absorbed, judgemental and lazy. She definitely doesn't deserve to have the booked named after her - she's utterly uninspiring. She's a terrible 'mascot' for childfree women. I think it's clear the author does not truly grasp what childfree women are like - she conceptualises them as people who are too immature to sort their lives out and too self absorbed to ever consider making sacrifices for others. It actually damages the image of childfree women, rather than supports it.

Overall, Olive promises a lot but doesn���t deliver. I found multiple scenes that made me wince with second-hand embarrassment, and I couldn’t relate to the characters. I was so excited for a book with rep on being childfree that I probably went in with unrealistic expectations 😓 The spare characters in the book are over exaggerated, and the book is full of encounters that simply wouldn't happen, as well as editorial errors such as spelling mistakes and plot inconsistencies.Focusing on Olive and her friends, the narrative moves from earlier points in their friendship, and Olive's relationship with Jacob, providing context. Gannon writes movingly and with empathy, about the four womens' different choices and situations, all of which have their difficulties. Motherhood, infertility, IVF, the choice to be child-free, infidelity, and their many perspectives are experienced by the four friends. Olive struggles with the incompatibilities of her friends' feelings and personal situations and her own, along with society's idea of what a woman should be doing with her life. Cliché-free, everyone doesn't get a happy ending. This is a brilliant, affectionate and empowering read about friendship and life choices, particularly women who want to live child-free. In this novel, we’re introduced to Olive, a thirty-something year old, still trying to figure out life (does it ever stop 💀?). While she’s figuring out everything, we see how she navigates herself around relationships, motherhood (especially since her friends are mothers or expecting mothers) and by extension womanhood. She's a terrible friend - she has zero empathy for the other women (especially Isla, who desperately wants a child through IVF) and constantly feels like she's the one owed an apology. She'd rather feel she's right than make up with her friends - in fact at one point she contemplates walking away from her friends completely. I mean, for what?! What terrible crime have they apparently committed against her? Gannon depicts female friendship with warmth, and intimacy, revealing the grey-areas and the complexities of choosing a life on a different path to that of your friends. In depicting what it might mean to not want children, Emma Gannon also vividly depicts what it’s like to choose the more accepted path of motherhood – this is a ‘default’ option which is no easier for women. Please don't hate me for a 3-star. That's easily the highest I've given something in this genre in a long time. Olive is worth a read and could be a good choice for a book club - just don't be surprised if the discussion comes to blows and you end up with prosecco all over the carpet.