Book Review: Misconception

I recently joined the christianaudio Reviewers Program.  My first audiobook was Misconception by Paul & Shannon Morell.  This was an emotional true story of two families and their experience with a fertility clinic mix-up.  It is told in first-person from the perspective of Shannon, whose frozen embryo was implanted into the wrong woman.

This book is in no way a treatise on the human-from-conception view of life, though it touches on the topic.  Instead, this book focuses on the story of two families’ experiences with pregnancy via in vitro fertilization.  It is a narrative, not a defense.

In many ways, this book felt like a catharsis for Shannon; a chance for her to get out all of the penned-up thoughts and emotions from her ordeal.  At times, there were details and stories told that were not essential to the overall timeline of events, but give depth to Shannon’s feelings.   Especially since I experienced this as an audio book, it sometimes felt as though I was on a long phone call with Shannon after asking her, “So what happened with your baby?”  Taken in this vein, and giving an understanding ear, I was absorbed into the story.  I rode the roller coaster with her.

Tavia Gilbert did a fantastic job of narrating, lending full emotion when appropriate, and even sounding as perplexed as Shannon must have felt at times.  I highly recommend this book, especially in audio format, and especially to anyone dealing with fertility issues of any kind, past or present.