“… practically impossible to put it down until the very end. Barasch Rubinstein is an extraordinary writer…”
Review in Chi Tarbut
In our latest post we showcase excerpts from Delivery, by Emanuela Barasch Rubinstein, that centre on Daphne’s husband Amir, the new father to be. Included are images and reels originally posted with the extracts on social media, that tap into the mood and feeling of the text.
As he and Daphne learn she is pregnant:
“For a moment I thought I would take her in my arms and carry her to the bed, but immediately I saw how ridiculous it would be, she would open her eyes and ask me to put her down, moving again the invisible part of her that pushes me away.”
About to become a father:
“something ends when you become a father. In spite of the happiness, there is also a loss; dreams about certain adventures simply crumble and fall apart. It’s very likely they would never have been fulfilled, but it makes no difference. The closer it gets to the birth, the delivery, the more real and vital the very long trip becomes—the one I’ll never take. I add more and more details: places, foreign languages, women. I can even feel the homesickness that is part of it.”
Before going to the hospital for the birth:
“The falling rain comforted me on the drive home. It seemed as though the water spattering over the car was washing away my sins. An invisible hand, ancient and obscure, was preparing me for the birth of my son. Daphne sat on the porch, exactly as I had left her, “I’m having contractions, but I think it’s still too soon to go to the hospital,” she said.”
Immediately after the labour:
“But now she seems empty. I try to talk, but I keep looking at her body, thinking she is hollow, that all that filled her is gone. Her face, which always had a healthy glow, is now pale and bluish. And her stomach, which now I realize had stretched immensely to carry the baby, is destroyed and sunken. Her legs, still swollen, are unmoving on the bed—and in her eyes (I can’t look at them but only glance now and then) a desperation I have never seen before.”
After the birth of Tomer:
“She fondled his cheek tenderly, kissed his forehead. A mother and her newborn son, her face was full of innocence and grace, for a moment I thought she was glowing, a beam of light was filling the room and encircling me as well. Carefully I took Tomer into my arms, anxious not to drop him, embraced him and kissed the warm, velvety cheek.”
You can read more about Emanuela’s writing on our Authors Page.
Delivery, published by Holland House Books earlier this month, is available to order direct from Holland House books
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