Review of “Baby Proof”

Emily Giffin lived across the hall from Miss A at Wake Forest and is now a star of chick lit. It’s easy to see why. In Baby Proof, she takes a simple concept (What if one partner in a “child-free by choice” couple had a change of heart?) and keeps it going for an entire novel, despite the question of “divorce” being answered almost immediately. While she entertained and engaged me throughout the book, I rather feel that the answering of the divorce question so early was to the book’s detriment, because it forced what remained into a standard-fare “heart longing for one, dating the player, getting cool clothes from wealthy friends while resolving own emotional issues” novel. The major plot points that cause Claudia (the protagonist) to wonder what she will really do for those she loves are almost asides to the socializing and the dating.  Nothing seems as unnecessary to me as another book about an NYC girl working in publishing, trying to get her love life straightened out, and wearing designer brands. Baby Proof is good, and if you already like this sort of book, it should be a must-read; but I doubt that it would win any converts to the genre.

The two major plot points provoking Claudia’s musings on the limits of love are modern and intellectually interesting. I only wish that they were a little more dramatic.