How to Care for a Human Girl: A Novel
Hardcover: $28
Reviewed by Calliope (CJ) Walls
The novel How to Care for a Human Girl by Ashley Wurzbacher is a story of two sisters traveling similar paths after their mother’s death. It delves into the stories of Jada and Maddy, sisters with a strained relationship. Each blames the other for their mother’s death, and both are fighting to survive a world turned upside down.
The book begins with both sisters facing unexpected pregnancies. Jada, the eldest daughter, navigates a failing marriage and a new career in psychology. She approaches the world through science and reason as she tries to make decisions about her marriage and pregnancy. Maddy, the younger, is pregnant by a mysterious figure. She grapples with decisions about her own pregnancy, looking to religion but also turning to Jada to help her figure out her life. Through their shared experiences, the sisters are brought together in ways that help them both.
Wurzbacher builds a melancholic parallel between the sisters. In the beginning, their grief over their mother is a point of contentious balance. Each blames the other for the loss. They choose different pathways to deal with the loss, but there’s a symmetry in the loss of self that accompanies each woman’s direction. Jada leaves home immediately but feels pressured to conform and marry a man with money to become someone she’s not. Maddy goes through a relationship with a fellow student who betrays her and ruins her reputation. Because of the ensuing scandal, a powerful man is able to take advantage of her. Like Jada, she wants to present herself as a perfect woman, but inside, she’s terrified. They have each become someone they’re not, an image that they present to the world.
The sisters both struggle with their faith after their mother’s death. Jada turns to science and reason in her decision about her pregnancy. She looks at data, opinions, and a study of her own body, finally determining that the decision about her body lies with her. Maddy goes to a Christian clinic to discuss her pregnancy, where they convince her that if she aborts her baby, she will go to hell. However, Maddy finds strength by turning to her own religious beliefs, believing that God will love her, whatever she decides.
Wurzbacher’s ultimate story is the relationship between Jada and Maddy. Though the sisters begin with a difficult relationship, their intertwined trauma draws them together. They learn from each other to use their combined force to face their world. Maddy turns to Jada’s more methodical and scientific decision-making approach, and Jada learns that studies can only take her so far before she must allow instinct to guide her.
The novel is a timely one, taking on the topic of pregnancy and abortion at a time when the rest of the United States is facing these questions. Wurzbacher, through Jada and Maddy, looks at the debate about women’s rights sweeping the nation in a personal and realistic light. How to Care for a Human Girl is a touching story that challenges sisterhood to the extreme as the girls mature into adult life.
CJ Walls is a student and an aspiring writer with big dreams and a tired heart. They were raised in the farmland of North Alabama and spent most summers exploring the woods and immersing themself in books.
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