I have reviewed The Elegant Out – A Novel by Elizabeth A Bartasius for Reader’s Favorite.
The fiction, The Elegant Out – A Novel, by Elizabeth A Bartasius follows thirty-six-years-old Elizabeth as she juggles between her obsession of birthing another child and finally writing a novel. Once upon a time, she had dreamed of becoming a writer, but now, when she could actually work toward materializing that aspiration, the loud ticks of her biological clock distracted her. Although she had a ten-year-old kid, Jack, from her previous abusive marriage, the hankering of creating a child with the man she loves nagged her like a plague. As if the battle inside her head wasn’t enough, her boyfriend’s reluctance to marry her and have babies with her added an emotional conflict to the equation. In her more rational times, however, she wondered if she wanted a child as an excuse to put off working toward her dream of becoming a writer. This fleeting moments of profound wisdom dissipated even more quickly when the news of pregnancy flooded her from each direction.
I couldn’t have predicted that I would land in my mid-thirties, unsprouted still, missions of notoriety unaccomplished, dreams of publishing on the back burner.
Four days before my thirty-sixth birthday, months away from a rotten IUD, the duct tape no longer held together the wounds of failure. Thirty-six felt like a new level of failure reached.
-The Elegant Out by Elizabeth Bartasius
Elizabeth A Bartasius, the author, has narrated the dilemma of many creative women across the universe. These talented women struggle with their desire to create something extraordinary and the booming noise of their biological clock every single day. Elizabeth, the namesake protagonist, is intelligent enough to realize that her need to have another child could be a mere instrument to procrastinate working toward her lifelong dream. Nevertheless, this intelligence is on a losing battle against the daunting biological clock. The proverbial race against time not only threatens her aspiration but also her relationship with Gabriel, her boyfriend. Elizabeth A Bartasius has put forth the aftereffects of an abusive marriage in the most tender words. Even though it had been years since the protagonist’s husband had “put his hands around my [her] neck, choking me [her],” she could still feel their presence around her neck like a permanent noose. The soft, yet insightful, narration evokes a range of emotions that connects — and perhaps resonates — with the audience.
The moment a teaspoon of possibility arrives, resistance enters like an FBI house raid. I’m not sure why resistance likes to create a disturbance capable of forcing one into prescription drugs. Maybe to create drama? A plot point? To make artists prove they want it, can do it? Or just to mess around like a monkey muse? Whatever the reasons, the resistance never ends.
-The Elegant Out by Elizabeth Bartasius
The Elegant Out – A Novel is one of those books where the readers find themselves tangled in the conflicting emotions of the heroine. Both the choices that gnawed at her appear important enough. And that is exactly what made the novel all the more fascinating. Regardless of the choice that she makes, the readers find themselves praying for a happy ending for the protagonist. Amidst her doubts and bizarre assumptions, her “monkey muse” retorted with just the right word and made many fans in the audience. I highly recommend The Elegant Out – A Novel, by Elizabeth A Bartasius to women who are at a crossroads and praying for a miracle. This novel could very well show them light and prove to be the miracle that they need.
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