Cirrus@Austlit

'Filled with humour and heart, Born for You charts the lives of women as they transition from self to mother, from child to adult, from certainty to uncertainty.

'In twelve distinct but spiritually interwoven stories, we meet women at the crossroads of change. A new mother learns about love in a pandemic. A woman’s desire to nurture takes a surprising twist. A visit to the tropics sparks questions of inheritance and legacy.

'Against the backdrop of a changing world, these stories reveal the inner pulse of domestic life – the acts of love and caring that illuminate our best and worst selves, the disappointments that build to regret, and the moments of reckoning that shape a life.

'Magdalena McGuire’s stunning first collection is an insightful and hopeful exploration of family life and desire.' (Publication summary)

'1980: the beginning of the Polish Crisis. Brought up in a small village, country-girl Ania arrives in the university city of Wroclaw to pursue her career as a sculptor. Here she falls in love with Dominik, an enigmatic writer at the centre of a group of bohemians and avant-garde artists who throw wild parties. When martial law is declared, their lives change overnight: military tanks appear on the street, curfews are introduced and the artists are driven underground. Together, Ania and Dominik fight back, pushing against the boundaries imposed by the authoritarian communist government. But at what cost?'   (Publication summary)