The Third Man by Mani SheriarMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This contribution to the four part This Can’t Be Happening series of Amazon Original Stories was, though well written, my least favorite of the collection. I found myself able to relate to the other three pieces, but this tale of pregnancy, infertility, and adoption just wasn’t in my wheel house. I was blessed by whatever gods may be with the ability to get pregnant by just being in the general vicinity of a semi-healthy sperm. So whilst I appreciated the author’s style, I was never able to fully invest. Overall, I felt it was just a bit too “new-age”, the introspection regarding the adoption hearings a shade too melodramatic. The passages to which I’m referring took place in a courtroom with a man who was a complete stranger, though the author insists there was some divine connection that caused her to be overcome with emotion. It was just a bit much. I’m not in any way marginalizing the pain of infertility. In fact, had the author chosen to simply write about that experience and the effect it had on her, I think this would have been far more powerful. As it stands, this felt like an exercise done in the throes of psychotherapy, then published as a favor to a friend.
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