Julie Weinberg, I Wish There Were Baby Factories, BookLocker.com, 2013, ISBN 9781626464124, 210 pages, cover price unlisted
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Somehow smiling through her tears, Julie Weinberg tells “a story inspired by real life events” about a couple whose efforts to have a baby–including fertility and adoption–were beset with dramatic disappointments, yet eventually came to fruition.
In the novel, Lauren Weiss, a legislative assistant in Maryland’s state capital, has difficulty conceiving a child. She and her husband, Mack, determinedly undergo many medical procedures to find out why. Eventually, she does become pregnant, but doctors tell her that the child will be born with Down Syndrome.
The character Lauren is Jewish, and in some ways, she is completely in charge. On the issue of abortion, the various branches of Judaism make suggestions but do not command. Perhaps this is why Lauren does not consult a rabbi before making her decision. She does not have any conflict with her husband. He declares the matter of whether to abort–or bring the Down Syndrome fetus to term–is totally her decision to make, and that he will support her no matter what she decides.
I kept thinking of Chris Burke, the wonderful television actor with Down Syndrome as Lauren weighed her options. I rooted for her to have the baby, but along with her husband accepted the idea that the decision was hers and hers alone.
Later, the couple decides they will adopt a child. We follow them as they get to know the birth mother, who seems to be certain of the course she is taking. But the question hangs right through the week after delivery: will the birth mother recant her decision and cancel the adoption at the last minute?
In both instances in which the loss of a baby seems imminent, readers can empathize with Lauren’s panic and great sorrow. Regardless of whether a baby grows inside her uterus or that of another woman, she wonders if she permanently will be denied the opportunity to be a mother.
Having a baby–whether by the usual method (which Lauren relishes with her husband) or by adoption–can be a heart-wrenching process, and author Weinberg helps those who have never been through it understand what might be ahead.
The novel is leavened with wry humor, and by its conclusion one can sympathize with the book’s title: “I Wish There Were Baby Factories.”
*
Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com