My Body Created a Human: A Love Story

Ahlqvist’s debut collects tender ruminations on pregnancy and motherhood that are heartfelt but often slight, offering well-worn truisms drawn with scant black-and-white art and a sense of naivete. As a new mother, Ahlqvist dives headfirst into the visceral experiences of pregnancy, birth, nursing (“I’m made of food,” she marvels), and raising a baby, straining to feel every moment to the fullest: “Thanks, body,” she tells herself. “You’re pretty great after all.” Between the joys and stresses of motherhood, she worries about the future her baby will inherit, considers the environmental cost of bringing a new human being into the world, and struggles to split childcare duties equally with her partner. These moments and others are depicted in a series of one-panel illustrations with captions, like quickly jotted journal entries. The volume finds some moments of difficultly that clash with romantic expectations, as when Ahlqvist describes the early pain of breastfeeding, and flashes of humor, as when she draws milk squirting dramatically from her breasts. She also speaks with welcome honesty about terminating a previous pregnancy. But too often she has trouble developing novel takes on the subject, and the art seldom does more than loosely illustrate the sentiments. Parents navigating the anxieties of the modern world with children in tow will identify with Ahlqvist’s reflections, but might find much of it only too familiar. Agent: Maggie Cooper, Aevitas Creative Management. (Sept.)