This book by Maeve Haran deals with a subject many of us wouldn't expect in a chicklit novel - the search for the birth parents of an adopted child. This focusses on Joe Meredith as he decides to look for the answers to the questions that have remained unanswered for all of his life. Now that he and his wife have just had their first baby, the questions are nagging more than ever. But should some secrets remain untold...
Molly, Joe's wife has always known how much being adopted bothers her husband. Whilst his adopted parents loved him dearly he has never felt that he quite belongs. She's used to him being overwhelmed by dark times when he retreats into himself - surely if he gets the answers to the questions he's so desperate to ask, their life with their new baby Eddie will be steadier. Never one to sit and think about doing something Molly dashes straight to the library and doesn't stop until she has found the answer Joe wanted. There's just one problem... it turns out Joe's birth mother is Stella Milton, the actress plastered across the walls of every teenage boy in the country for the last twenty years.
Stella is shocked when Joe rings her... after giving him up so that she could pursue her then fledgling career she never expected to hear from him again. Its a bit of an inconveniece to be perfectly honest - it's hard enough these days persuading casting directors to give her the siren roles that have shaped her career, the world finding out that she has a grown up son... and horror of horrors is a grandmother would be the end of her. Behind closed doors though she is surprised by the feelings she has toward her son... if only she could have him without the baggage of his wife and child.
The book follows the power struggle that ensues between Molly and Stella. Stella is aided and abetted by her agent, though he's a little more keen on the publicity that a tearful reunion could bring. Molly has to rely on the support of her best friend Claire, and a few surprising co-conspirators.
This book is light hearted, but does not shy away from the issues it is dealing with. Whilst few adopted children will find that they have movie stars for their parent(s), they will more than likely experience the same highs and lows that Joe goes through. The characters are well written, and help to make this an enjoyable read.
Score : 4 out of 5
Like this? Try 'Dancing With Mules' by Morag Prunty.
