Human Blues

By: Elisa Albert

Narrated by: Mia Barron

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

“Takes off with magnificent speed and never lets up…[an] explosively hip, funny and heartfelt book.” —The New York Times

“Riotous, visceral.” —Vanity Fair

“Fearless…with a rollicking rhythm that would make Carrie Brownstein proud.” —Chicago Review of Books 

From an author whose writing has been praised as “blistering” (The New Yorker), “virtuosic” (The Washington Post), and “brilliant” (The New York Times) comes a provocative and entertaining novel about a woman who desperately wants a child but struggles to accept the use of assisted reproductive technology—a hilarious and ferocious send-up of feminism, fame, art, commerce, and autonomy.

On the eve of her fourth album, singer-songwriter Aviva Rosner is plagued by infertility. The twist: as much as Aviva wants a child, she is wary of technological conception, and has poured her ambivalence into her music. As the album makes its way in the world, the shock of the response from fans and critics is at first exciting—and then invasive and strange. Aviva never wanted to be famous, or did she? Meanwhile, her evolving obsession with another iconic musician, gone too soon, might just help her make sense of things.  

Told over the course of nine menstrual cycles, Human Blues is a bold, brainy, darkly funny, utterly original interrogation of our cultural obsession with childbearing. It’s also the story of one fearless woman at the crossroads, ruthlessly questioning what she wants and what she’s willing—or not willing—to do to get it.

©2022 Elisa Albert. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

don't waste your money

very depressing and slow. The character was very negative and entitled. struggled to finish the book and the ending was very uneventful.

Tried to get through this three times.

Unlikable, entitled, judgemental main character. Gives feminists a bad name—I kept waiting for a character arc to redeem her, but nothing.

Womb with a view

As a man, the constant consideration of bearing a child was somewhat outside of my personal reference but the writing was clever and beautiful.

Don't. Just don't.

Don't. Just don't.


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