books

  So, I recently had the pleasure of reading So Close by Tertia Albertyn. And, I have to say that it was a gripping novel, an infertility memoir that will stay with me for some time to come.

  The cover has a tagline of “Infertile and addicted to hope.” And I think that’s what has resonated with me the most. The hope. The sheer will that Tertia had to do whatever it took to finally have a child. She never gave up because she decided that it would never be an option until she had what she yearned for most.

   She certainly went to hell and back througth her infertility battle! If you can imagine the worst happening, it happened to Tertia. She went through 3 IUIs, 10 IVFs (9 of which are written about in the book), had negative cycles, was canceled from poor response, had miscarraiges, an ectopic pregnancy, and even the very worst, an infant loss with her first born son Ben. And as frustrating as it was to read and empathize, I can only imagine how devastating and frustrating it was to experience. I give Tertia a LOT of credit! She has perhaps the most perseverance out of anyone else I have ever read about experiencing infertility.

   One review on the back cover reads, “So Close is the heart wrenching, exhilirating, devastatingly funny story…” And  it was definitely heart wrenching…especially the part when Tertia describes in detail how she layed in the hospital, resting her hand on her belly with one twin dead and the other waiting to be born. I cried reading that. I also cried when I read about Ben’s birth because although she never wrote a single word about it, Luke, Ben’s twin who had died a month earlier in utero, was also born that day, still born.

 And truth be told, I didn’t really find it “devastatingly funny.” It was sad, really sad. But I knew it was going to be a happy ending, so I couldn’t pull myself away. (In fact, it was really hard to put the book down.) Tertia has a wit about her that did make me laugh at times though. And for that, I was grateful.

  The book wraps up at the birth of her twins Adam and Kate. They are now has 6 year old! And after 2 surprise pregnancies that ended in miscarraige and a negative FET (her 10th IVF), she now has a 20 month old, Max who she had (BIG Surprise) naturally! 

  The book is so appropriately titled So Close because she did come so close so many times and finally acheived happiness. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll be inspired and empathize with her pain. She is a rock!

Go check out So Close. It is truly a wonderful memoir of hope! You can aslo follow Tertia’s journey at her blog.