So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope (Paperback)

~ Tertia Loebenberg Albertyn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Meet, marry and make a baby: That's how it's supposed to go, right? What happens when you start trying for a family ... and trying, and trying some more? How far do you go to achieve your dream of having children? So Close is the heart wrenching, exhilarating, devastatingly funny story of Tertia Albertyn's battle with infertility. Tertia wanted a baby so badly she went through nine IVFs. Most people give up after the third. I don't think I am being brave at all. I am just too terrified NOT to try again. In her worst nightmare she could never have imagined that making a baby would take her four years, each treatment bringing her and her husband Marko closer and closer to creating their family. During Tertia's journey everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Until, finally, everything goes just right. Tertia is as hilarious as she is irrepressible, as approachable as she is knowledgeable. If you are struggling with infertility, have triumphed over infertility or have felt empathy with someone who is going through this experience, you will find a friend in Tertia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: MouseHand (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0620430303
• ISBN-13: 978-0620430302
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,092 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific read--definitely not just for infertile folks!, February 5, 2009

By	Louise Sloan (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a beautifully written, hilarious and heartbreaking memoir. Sure, it's about infertility and would be a great choice if you or someone you love is grappling with that. You'll definitely be cheered, inspired, and you'll learn a lot. But I haven't had fertility problems and neither has anyone I am close to. I was nevertheless delighted to discover the acerbically funny Tertia and to go through her long, agonizing journey to motherhood with her. You'd think a memoir like this would be all warm and fuzzy mixed with earnest longing and sadness. You know, important, good for you, but ultimately kind of deadly. Not with Tertia as narrator, all prickly bad attitude with Chardonnay in hand and wisecrack at the ready. Somehow she manages to be snarky and sincere at the same time--how perfect is that? "So Close" is just a terrific book, funny and tragic, full of hope and, ultimately, joy. You'll wish, like I do and like her thousands of blog fans do, that she didn't live so far away (South Africa) so she could be your BFF.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, February 10, 2009

By	Martha Lewis "Mal" (Asia) - See all my reviews

Simply put, this is a great read even for those without fertility issues and a must read for those that do.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing, Poignant Book, February 5, 2009

By	Jennifer Margulis, editor of Toddler: Real-Li... (Ashland, OR) - See all my reviews

This is an amazing, poignant book that will make you laugh and cry as you go with Tertia on her sometimes heartbreaking journey through infertility. The book, adapted from her very popular and wonderful blog, "So Close," is not just for people who have suffered infertility, stillbirth, miscarriage, or the death of an infant. It's for every parent who has had or is thinking of having a baby. It's so important for people who have never grappled with infertility to know what others are going through, and for those of us who have been there know we are not alone. The best thing about it? Tertia's story ends triumphantly.