"Baby Proof" by Emily Giffin

Read: 4/24/09

2/5 stars

You know when you read a book by a supposedly good author, and you're not getting it, so you just keep reading hoping something good will happen? Then you're rewarded with little blips of plot development, but few and far between. Then the book ends, and you are left wondering, "What happened here?"

That about summarizes my experience with Baby Proof.

I bought this book since I enjoyed reading Something Blue by the same author. Actually, I was keeping an eye out for Something Borrowed, but since I couldn't seem to find a copy, and this one was on sale, I figured this one might be as good. Apparently not.

Claudia, the main character, does not want to have a baby. She finds a man who shares her sentiments. They seem perfect for each other, get married, and proceed to have the kind of union most people would dream about. Up until the point that Ben, Claudia's husband, decides he wants a child. Here lies the conflict, and the rest of the book explores what Claudia does in reaction to that conflict.

I am definitely for babies, but that is not why I did not enjoy this book. I am also for good writing and well-fleshed out characters. That is why I did not enjoy this book.

Where I was expecting a fascinating discourse on the issue of motherhood and why some women opt not to go through with it, what I got was a self-indulgent narrative of this woman's defense of her lifestyle. Then, the rest of the book is peopled with other women who all provide such an obvious foil for the main character's dilemma. I would've wanted more depth and subtlety. I also would've wanted more sophistication in writing. As it was, the writing was something like this "This happened, and then this, and then this. And this is what I felt..." It lacked imagination.

Some might tell me that it serves me right for reading chick lit. I would say otherwise. Genre fiction is not doomed to bad writing. Only bad writing is doomed to bad writing, regardless if the fiction is genre or literary.