On this episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome back Ashley Audrain. Her debut novel, The Push, was a New York Times, Sunday Times (London), and number-one international bestseller, and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Her second novel, The Whispers, is out today and is a pageturner about four suburban families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens.
No one examines motherhood with the nuance and complexity of Ashley and we loved deep diving into the weighty questions of her novel with her: does being a mother require a “voluntary death” of your identity or can you fight it? Can you be a feminist and a mother? What lengths will a woman go to become a mother or to protect her child? We debate all of that with Ashely, as well as discussing midlife, female desire, infertility, and womens’ intuition (how to hear the “whispers” from within us). Finally, Ashley shares the way our episodes have inspired her exploration of astrology and Carinn tells us about how Ashley has been her literary fairy godmother. 
The Whispers is out now! Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to this very special spoiler-free chat wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.