Last week I talked about how life events show up in my
writing, and how I like watching for the unusual or quirky behaviors in people
because these are the things that make a character believable. Makes them imperfect.
Makes them come to life.
Then, I found a novel with a title that hits directly at the
heart of my novel. I HAD to read that book!
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The Red Thread, by Ann Hood was written in 2010. It is
a story of six American couples, each who want to adopt a baby girl from China.
It’s also the story of six Chinese parents who, because of China’s One Child
Family Planning Law, are forced to give up their baby girls.
The six American couples have complicated and sometimes overwhelming
ordeals in their quest to build a family.
But the Chinese mothers’ stories just broke my heart.
**Spoiler Alert!**
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| Courtesy of Google Images |
One young mother tried to keep her child hidden from the
community because she already had a nine year old daughter. She would have been
able to keep the second child had it been a son. (This part of the story is not
fiction, but LAW!) She was tricked into helping another family member and left
the sleeping baby unattended for a moment. Her husband when in the bedroom and took the
baby away.
A teenage girl got pregnant and her boyfriend took off when
he found out. When the baby girl was born, the teen had to sneak to the park
with her newborn and abandon it there- hoping that she would be found before it
was too late.
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Another mother had twins. Like the mom with a second child,
she could have kept both if one had been a boy and one a girl, but since both
twins were girls, she had to make a decision on which one to keep and which one
to let go. (Talk about Sophie’s Choice!)
There are three more stories like this, each one
devastating.
The American parents have their own regrets and pasts to
work through in order to adopt a baby from China. It’s a soul wrenching story
that, I believe, people who have never experienced adoption could completely
understand. This story gives us a glimpse of that emotional upheaval.
The epilogue is eloquent torture. Ann Hood puts the words
together in emotional beauty and my only regret in this story is that it seemed
to end fairly abruptly.
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I wished I could have known more about why some of the
characters made the decisions that they made. Did Sophie ever forgive Theo, and
why is she staying with him? Nell, a powerful business woman, does everything
she can to have a baby. Why did she think she needed a baby in her life anyway,
and why did she realize she was making a big mistake only after she was on the
flight to China? Did Maya ever forgive herself? Could she trust herself with a
child?
I guess a good story gives you food for thought, huh?
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In the acknowledgements Ann Hood shares with us that she
lost a baby daughter and that she and her family went through the adoption
process for a baby girl from China. This fact blew me away! I don’t know how
this woman, this mother, this author-lady could even write a story like this! She’s a
super hero in my book.
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Ann Hood has written several adult novels, her newest, The
Book That Matters Most, released in August 2016, is getting good reviews. I
know that I’ll be reading it, along with all her others.
I send my love to all adoptive families. And to my favorite
“baby”, David, I’m so blessed to have you in my life.
Until next time,
Be Good to Yourself.
~Nadine
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