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Wait Here

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Wait Here

By: Lucy Nelson
Narrated by: Kellie Jones
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About this listen

A dazzling collection of hilarious and heart-wrenching stories united by a groundbreaking theme: each is a sidelong glance at the lives of women who–either by choice or by circumstance–will never be mothers and who feel every way it is possible to feel about it.

A dancer discovers she can never have children–a revelation that pales in comparison to the other ways her body has betrayed her. Two elderly sisters who’ve been inseparable throughout life make a momentous decision. A wet nurse at Coney Island’s infamous ‘Incubator Babies’ sideshow is haunted by the ghost of her own stillborn daughter. A young woman worries about the lack of male role models in her little niece’s life…

For the women in Wait Here, who can’t, don’t or won’t have children, childlessness is a hard-won prize, a freedom, a stain, a joy, a battle, a trifle, a conundrum, a wound, an uneasy comfort on a burning planet.

It is nothing. It is everything.

©2025 Lucy Nelson (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio Anthologies & Short Stories Short Stories Women's Fiction Haunted Funny Witty

Critic Reviews

‘I loved everything about this funny, touching, big-hearted, moving collection . . . Beneath/alongside/supported by the beautiful writing and Nelson’s lightness of touch is a subtle and original exploration of a vast subject: on not being a mother.’ (Lucy Treloar, author of Days of Innocence and Wonder)

‘The stories in Lucy Nelson’s Wait Here explode received ideas about women and childlessness. Her characters experience not only loss, grief and regret, but also states less easily associated with not becoming a mother: joy, liberty, rage, relief. The stories are composed with such ease and frankness that their moments of grace–and there are many–catch the reader unawares. I loved the warmth of these stories, and I loved their grit too.’ (Chloe Wilson, author of Hold Your Fire)
‘In Wait Here, each tender glimpse into the lives of women without children aches with immense insight. A deeply compassionate collection where every story feels like a gift.’ (Emily O’Grady, author of Feast)
All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed this beautiful collection, nice variety of emotional tone and focus between the different stories. Kellie Jones's narration was the perfect fit

A collection of gems

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