A review by eren_reads
Happening by Annie Ernaux

reflective medium-paced

5.0

I began this story one week ago, not knowing whether I would go through with it... Obeying this impulse seemed a terrifying prospect... One night I dreamed I was holding a book I had published about my abortion: it was unavailable from bookstores and didn't feature in any catalogue. On the bottom of the cover, in huge letters, were the words: OUT OF PRINT. I couldn't decide whether the dream meant that I should write the book, or that there would be no point in doing so.

I will read anything and everything that Annie Ernaux chooses to write. This book is a beautifully written meditation on her experience getting an abortion whilst it was still illegal in France. She does not shy away from describing her experiences which I think makes this book all the more impactful.

Additionally, I enjoyed Annie Ernaux's writing on her experience actually writing this book and her musing's on why she was writing this and particular choices she made in this book.