The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Nettel, Guadalupe. Still Born. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

Laura struggles to focus and enjoy her calm apartment when a new neighbor moves in with her young son. The boy is prone to verbally abusive outbursts and constantly complains and slams doors. Laura feels sympathy for the woman and validation for her decision not to have children of her own. She spent her earlier years living in Paris and studying with her best friend, Alina. Even after Alina returned to Mexico and Laura continued traveling across Europe, their friendship only strengthened.

When Laura moves back to Mexico and reconnects with Alina, she is shocked that her longtime friend has decided she wants to have a baby. She is joyful for her friend but also fearful that their friendship might come to an end once Alina becomes a mother and only has time for her baby and connecting with other mothers.

As Alina’s pregnancy progresses, she receives the distressing news that her baby is not developing normally and most likely will not survive long after birth. Laura steps in to try and support her through her grief, but Alina falls into depression and anxiety. Laura is also fostering a relationship with the young boy next door and his mother, trying to understand why Nico is so unhappy. She resolves to spend some of her free time taking Nico to the park and around the neighborhood so he can get used to his surroundings while his mother, Doris, battles depression.

Alina goes into labor and her daughter, Inés, is born. She does progress and develop despite what the doctors told Alina and her partner, Aurelio. She needs intensive physical therapy and they also hire a nanny, Marlene, to help with her care while they work. Alina struggles to be away from her daughter and allows Marlene to step into the maternal role she believes she should be occupying, but she does not have the bandwidth or financial ability to stay home all the time. She finds an online support group for parents with disabled children and it provides a much-needed community.

When Alina sees how devoted Marlene is to caring for her daughter despite the emotional toll that her constant seizures and other complications take, she realizes that Inés will only be better for having more people around her who love her and want to advocate for her well-being.

Laura tries to teach Nico how to manage his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s disengagement. He thrives during the time they spend together but ultimately his mother sends him to live with her sister in Morelia so she can devote herself to getting better. At the same time, Laura is working to repair her relationship with her mother which suffered when Laura did not follow the traditional path of getting married and having children.

As the novel comes to a close, Alina and Laura’s friendship is stronger than ever and the women are committed to supporting each other through all of life’s changes to come.