BABY PROOF by Emily Giffin
Novelist Emily Giffin has found the perfect chord of storytelling to resonate with female readers across the country. She first gained attention with SOMETHING BORROWED and followed it up with SOMETHING BLUE. Now she gets even more complex with BABY PROOF. This is a case of the premise of the book being so intriguing that readers can't put it down.
BABY PROOF is the story of Claudia and Ben, a couple who meet when they are in their mid-thirties and are instantly attracted to each other. They seem to match up on all the important and trivial things in their lives and this seems to indicate "soul mates." The one thing Claudia fears could put a crimp in their relationship is the fact she doesn't want children, but then Ben says he feels the same way too.
They get married and should live happily ever after, right? The answer is no! After they are married for a while Ben decides he wants to have a child. Claudia is horrified, as this was something she was up front about from the start. She doesn't want children now; she doesn't want children ever. Ben makes every argument possible for having kids but he is unable to change Claudia's mind and eventually their marriage ends up in divorce.
The rest of the book concerns Claudia's efforts to put Ben out of her mind and move on with her life. But she always hears a quiet voice in her head asking if she gave up the love of her life and her one chance for lasting happiness. Would it have been better to have had a child with Ben and try to adjust to motherhood?
Giffin manages to show both sides of the "baby" quandary. She details Ben's willingness to stay at home with the child, etc so he does not come off as the villain of the story. At the same time Giffin makes Claudia's arguments for staying childless logical based on her status and situation in life. Claudia is a not anti-baby or even anti-motherhood; she is just anti these two things for herself.
Once you start reading BABY PROOF you won't be able to put it down. Claudia and Ben are both highly interesting and involving characters. Plus Giffin has a wicked sense of humor that she injects into the story to give it a release from the solemnity of her subject matter. When you read BABY PROOF you will sigh, cry, chuckle and laugh out loud. Mostly you will be fascinated with the issue of how one problem can be insurmountable for a modern day couple.
Emily Giffin is one of the hot writers of the year. Most of you have already heard, seen or been exposed in some way to the phenomenon of BABY PROOF. It has tons of buzz going for it and in this case the product lives up to the expectation.
BABY PROOF is primarily a book for women but men might learn a few things from it too. So get your copy and start learning about Claudia and Ben and their rocky road to happiness.
BABY PROOF is published by St Martin's Press. It contains 340 pages and sells for $23.95.