The Brink of Being

'A much needed book on this difficult and often unspoken loss, that of early pregnancy ... both illuminating and consoling.' Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works

It estimated that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and yet it persists as taboo. In The Brink of Being, a groundbreaking and essential book, psychotherapist Julia Bueno encourages us to talk about, think more, and reflect upon this often misunderstood, and little discussed event.

Drawing on her personal experience of miscarriage, stories from her consulting room, and interviews with medical professionals and researchers, Bueno provides history, context and consolation for anyone who has been through pregnancy loss, or wants to know how to help someone who has.

Bueno also investigates miscarriage in terms of how we respond to women's bodies and reproductive health, our attitudes to birth and death, and how we can - and should - encourage more curiosity and candid conversations, in order to better support the many affected by this loss.

'Intelligent, sensitive, and utterly candid ... It's the sort of book that women have long been searching for, and it feels like real progress. I'm so thankful she wrote it' Meaghan O'Connell, author of And Now We Have Everything