In my on-going Summer of Rereading, I recently finished Baby Proof by Emily Giffin.
I wish I could remember when I read Baby Proof the first time…
It was originally published in 2006, but I own a paperback copy with a black dot on the bottom.
Thirty seconds of Googling has led me to believe the paperback version came out toward the middle of 2007… Give it a little time to wind up on the clearance rack I apparently purchased it from, and we’re at maybe mid 2008…
I hadn’t rated it on Goodreads, and I joined that site in September of 2014…
So, I’m guessing I probably read it sometime within the first 6 months to 6 years Matt and I were married… right about the time we were deciding once and for all not to have kids.
The first eleven pages of the book had me literally nodding in agreement. The main character’s views on having kids were/are exactly how I felt/feel. (Around the same time I must have read this book, I was also writing about not wanting kids. I can’t help but think maybe I read this book and thought, “Well that storyline has been done before,” and moved onto other writing ventures… Or, maybe I realized that (even though Baby Proof is fiction) I wasn’t quite as alone (and unique) in my thinking as I had originally believed. I dunno…)
By page twelve, though, the main character’s husband has changed his mind and now wants a baby. (Truth be told, that’s about how long it took most of our peers who initially said they didn’t want kids to change their minds, too.)
Am I a terrible person if I say that it made sense when the main character and her husband got divorced?
But, as it turns out, even after a spicy affair (is it still called an affair if you’re not married? probably not), the main character realizes she still loves her ex-husband.
I could relate to the feelings of surprise and hurt and jealousy and yet – relief – the main character felt in Chapter 25.
Also in Chapter 25, the author snuck in the word canoodling, and now that’s my new favorite word.
There are some more relatable moments sprinkled throughout. But then somewhere about 3/4 of the way through the book, the main character decides she loves her ex-husband so much, she’s willing to just go ahead and have a baby after all. And, while maybe this is completely realistic and happens all the time, I had to set the book down and walk away for a minute.
All-in-all, Baby Proof was thought-provoking, well-written, and a published glimpse into my twisted brain.
Tara Winfield / Writer, Reader, Realtor / 4851 Tamiami Trail N. / Suite 258 / Naples, FL 34103