I don’t think the book would work as well as it does were Elvie not the kind of person who makes up names for stoic commanders in her head or who refers to her foetus as “Goober.” As wild as the premise is, it needs Elvie’s voice to make it work. She (and by extension through her, the writers) knows how weird her situation is and she’s going to laugh at it even as she tries to survive it. Add in a mostly interesting supporting cast, and it stops mattering that the premise is weird and the biology is flawed. It just becomes about loving the characters and wanting good things for them. I also liked that ultimately, it was all Elvie’s choice. I wish everyone had been honest with her from the start, but I appreciate that in the end, she was given all the information and resources and allowed to decide what she wanted to do with her life. It was nice to see a story where a pregnant teen was so unconditionally loved and supported by those close to her, since I feel like too often reality goes the other way. I’m still not quite sold on Cole as a character or love interest, to be honest. He feels a bit too cliched and not a good match for Elvie. (I also have major problems with him impregnating her without being honest with her and then running away when she confirmed it, but at least he’s not like the rest of his species, calling the pregnant girls “incubators.”) I feel like Elvie would get bored with Cole, long-term, but then again this book by necessity paints him in a negative light, given the circumstances of the plot. Perhaps he comes off better when not embroiled in a fertility scandal. What did you think of the book? Too weird? Just quirky enough to be fun? Hit up the comments to let me know what you thought. Until then, Aliya will be back in mid-May with Seeing The Blossom by Dennis Potter. Read Kaci’s look at the previous Book Club fiction entry, Donna Hosie’s The Devil’s Intern, here.
