With its paradoxical title “From Happiness to Tears”, this novel presents the tragedy surrounding the birth of a child in a way that translates science into fiction, raising public awareness on the determinants of this tragedy. These lie not only upstream but also downstream, beyond the reach of the conventional healthcare system, in a cultural context where many people are reluctant to talk about death.

The authors evoked truths that everyone needs to know about the environmental and individual factors favouring the occurrence of maternal death, a tragedy that may follow complications of pregnancy. They also point out that a pregnancy, the fruit of a loving relationship, can become complicated at any time for all women of childbearing age, affecting teenagers and mothers alike, turning the lives of many families from happiness to despair overnight.