Elizabeth Day’s latest novel, ‘Magpie’ is a compelling exploration of family relationships, of rejection, of fear, and of desire. Marisa and her partner want a baby very much. Kate and her partner want a baby very much. To what lengths will these confident, successful people go to ensure that this happens?
The structure of this story encourages the reader to understand that nothing can be taken at face value other than the key characters’ strength of feelings. As the sophisticated grandmother to be, Annabelle, reminds Kate on several occasions, nothing is more important than family. But what exactly does that mean? Families come in all different shapes and sizes and some of these are more wishful-thinking than reality.
Even to focus on the central theme of ‘Magpie’ would be to spoil the ways in which Day gradually allows the reader to appreciate what is playing out over the course of the novel. Nevertheless, the singular title reminds us that ‘sorrow’ is ever-present. This is an intelligent, sensitive and thought-provoking discussion of motherhood, trauma and societal expectations. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I really enjoyed this new novel by Elizabeth Day and thought the plot twist in the middle of the book was pure genius. This book felt like a thriller in some instances, but it was not scary, just a really good page-turner. It was interesting to see how the author took inspiration from her own fertility journey to explore themes such as wanting to have a baby and not being able to conceive, the pressure it can have on a relationship, and comparison between women. I also loved the symbolism of the magpie and how it kept coming back in the story. I’d say the only downfall for me was that the denouement was a bit ‘too good to be true’ considering everything that happened beforehand.