Other People’s Children
A teen mother agrees to allow a couple to adopt her child, but things go sideways when she changes her mind.
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My Review
After three miscarriages, Gail and John Durbin are ecstatic when Carli, a pregnant teenager, chooses them to adopt her daughter. But Carli’s mother, Marla, is determined that she won’t miss her granddaughter’s childhood as she did with her own children. She pushes hard for Carli to change her mind.
Fueled by love, intense emotions, and conflicting dreams, each mother makes impulsive choices that send them down a dire path–with a newborn baby at the center of it all. This book starts slowly down an expected path through the emotional process of adoption–and then it twists in some unexpected ways. It’s a bit of a wild ride for a book that starts out quiet and literary, but I had to find out what happened. Overall, a fascinating premise that was well-executed–save for a few outrageous turns that required some suspension of disbelief.
Publisher’s Description
A riveting debut novel about a couple whose dream of adopting a baby is shattered when the teenage mother reclaims her child. What makes a family? Gail and Jon Durbin moved to the Chicago suburbs to set up house as soon as Gail got pregnant. But then she miscarried—once, twice, three times. Determined to expand their family, the Durbins turn to adoption. When several adoptions fall through, Gail’s desire for a child overwhelms her. Carli is a pregnant teenager from a blue-collar town nearby, with dreams of going to college and getting out of her mother’s home. When she makes the gut-wrenching decision to give her baby up for adoption, she chooses the Durbins. But Carli’s mother, Marla, has other plans for her grandbaby. In Other People’s Children, three mothers make excruciating choices to protect their families and their dreams—choices that put them at decided odds against one another. You will root for each one of them and wonder just how far you’d go in the same situation. This riveting debut is a thoughtful exploration of love and family, and a heart-pounding page-turner you’ll find impossible to put down.
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