Dara Levan - IT COULD BE WORSE

IT COULD BE WORSE, Dara Levan's heartbreaking debut novel, is a tour de force chronicling a woman's journey through  the anxieties, trials, and tribulations with pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood—all the while addressing one parent's toxic narcissism and the other's enabling of it. Despite the dark circumstances that propel her protagonist Allegra's anxieties and fear, Levan provides the necessary crises that provoke several insightful reckonings and allows her to open up to her husband and friends. But it is Allegra's own unique parenting skills that provide needed proof that clarity comes at all ages and stages of life. The climax makes for a fabulous ending. In my discussion with Dara, we discuss what drove her to write it, how she was able to draw such strong pathos out of certain scenes that certainly had me biting my nails, and how she was able to use the actions of parents who, wittingly or not, could harm their children.  Truly a must-read. Dara Levan's IT COULD BE WORSE IS IN BOOKSTORES NOW. Check out Josie's website at https://josiebrown.com This has been a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur with Josie Brown. AI was not used in the creation of this podcast.