What We Carry

Fans of Caroline Leavitt will relish this rich, complex novel born of the author's own loss and grief, about how one can overcome tragedy through bravery and self-discovery.

Cassidy Morgan's life has always followed a carefully laid track: top education, fulfilling career, and marriage to the love of her life, Owen. The next logical step was starting a family. But when a late-term miscarriage threatens to derail everything she's worked so hard for, she finds herself questioning her identity, particularly what it means to be a mother. Unable to move past her guilt and shame, she realizes there's more to fix than a broken heart. Grief illuminates the weaknesses in her marriage and forces her to deal with her tumultuous relationship with her own mother.

Cassidy hopes her work as a veterinarian specializing in equine reproduction will distract her from the pain but instead finds that one of the cases she's working on shines a spotlight on the memory of her unborn son. For once in her life, Cassidy is left untethered and wondering why she wanted to become a mother in the first place. 

Then the unexpected happens when Cassidy becomes pregnant again. But the joy over her baby is tempered by her fear of another loss as well as her increasingly troubled marriage. Now, she must decide whether to let her pain hold her back or trust that there's still something to live for.
 
What We Carry is a thought-provoking response to the author's own miscarriage and lack of fiction surrounding the topic, that she and other women in her situation crave.


Genre: General Fiction

"What We Carry takes readers on a journey from to the depths of despair and back again in a moving tribute to motherhood. The family dynamics between Cassidy, Claire, and Joan are gripping. Their story of functional dysfunction will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next." - Jennifer Bardsley

"What We Carry is an emotionally charged roller-coaster ride. A powerful and engrossing read. We need more books like this in the world. Kalyn Fogarty tackles the topic of miscarriage--an experience which is too common, and yet not talked about enough. Clearly borne of the author's own pain and wisdom brought from the experience, Fogarty delves into how it feels to lose a child and the impact on all of Cassidy's relationships. Studded with beautiful and thought-provoking lines like "no-one gives you a manual for grief." And "I never imagined ten years unraveling in ten days", Fogarty is a new author with a clear voice. Poignant, thought-provoking. Perfect book club fiction, with so much to discuss. Filled with nuggets of wisdom about grief, love and life in general." - Lainey Cameron

"Heartbreakingly honest and wonderfully emotional, What We Carry is a poignant and heartfelt novel of learning--and loving--through loss, filled with characters you long to root for." - Kate Hewitt

"Few losses are as shattering as the death of a child, but when that loss occurs as a miscarriage, parents often find themselves isolated in their grief. This fresh, unflinchingly honest story depicts the chronic ache of grief, the challenge of self-forgiveness, and ultimately, the achievement of a new sense of balance. With fully drawn characters that will live in your heart long after the last page, this moving portrait is not to be missed." - Rebecca Hodge

"In a tender story about one woman's anguished choices in her determination to become a mother, Kalyn Fogarty takes an unsparing look at the raw courage it sometimes requires to do those things most people take for granted. Fogarty understands human nature and the ways in which compassion for another species -- in this case, horses -- can teach us the truest understanding of ourselves." - Jacquelyn Mitchard