Look at Him

Look at Him – a book about the loss of a child. This is documentary prose in which Anna Starobinets takes the reader through all the horror and grief she once experienced – from the moment during the examination when she is told that the fetus has no chance of survival, to the moment of final farewell with the baby who lived for less than a few minutes. On one hand, this is a very personal book, a detailed and at times ruthless self-analysis, a look at maternal despair from the inside. On the other hand, it is a challenge to the Russian medical system, a disagreement with the inhumanity of its approach, a call to establish an ethical protocol. By voicing her experiences, the author advocates for lifting the taboo on the topic of abortion due to the non-viability of the child. But first and foremost, Starobinets tells about her personal grief and creates a book on how not to lose oneself after losing a child.