Member Review

SMILE is a wonderful, warm, bracingly candid account of one woman’s experience of Bell’s Palsy following the birth of her twins. Sarah Ruhr is an exceptional writer (which makes sense, as she is an acclaimed playwright) and I appreciated the skill with which she draws the reader into her story. The compassion she shows for herself in her account of her struggle to understand what was happening with her body (including significant times in which she admits in hindsight that she had no compassion for herself at all) are so relatable. I’ve never given birth to twins, and never experienced Bell’s Palsy...and yet reading this I felt seen and understood in a whole new way. This is a wonderful book about so much more than the events that inspired it. Well done, Sarah Ruhl!

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.