Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s Novel 'Book of Hours' Transforms Obstetric Violence into Fiction
Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s first novel, Book of Hours, released by Dzanc Books, explores her personal encounter with obstetric violence during childbirth through a fictional lens. The narrative blends this trauma with the protagonist’s encounters with canonized saints. Raised in a Catholic environment, Whittet had earlier published a memoir titled What You Become in Flight in April 2020, which chronicled her struggles with an eating disorder and a shortened ballet career. Following a lawsuit against her OB for medical and sexual battery, which was dismissed as malpractice, her lawyer encouraged her to pursue writing as a form of justice. In a Vogue interview, she reflects on how Catholic views on suffering influenced her perspective on pregnancy and emphasizes the importance of patient autonomy in the delivery room. Book of Hours is available today.
Key facts
- Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s novel Book of Hours is published by Dzanc Books.
- The book fictionalizes Whittet’s experience of obstetric violence during labor.
- Whittet’s memoir What You Become in Flight was published in April 2020.
- She filed a lawsuit against her OB as medical battery and sexual battery, which was dismissed after being reclassified as medical malpractice.
- Whittet’s lawyer suggested writing as an alternative avenue for justice.
- She was raised Catholic and says Catholic teachings frame suffering as noble.
- In the novel, the protagonist experiences obstetric violence and has visions of canonized saints.
- Whittet describes feeling like she was “burned at the stake” during birth.
Entities
Artists
- Ellen O’Connell Whittet
Institutions
- Dzanc Books
- Vogue