He Gets That from Me

September 24, 2021
Maggie was pragmatic about the costs and benefits of answering an ad looking for a surrogate. Mother to a young son, she knew she was capable of the physical rigors of pregnancy, and she thought her affection for intended parents Donovan and Chip would help ease the emotional hardship of delivering a baby that wasn't hers to keep. Not to mention the money that would undoubtedly help her put her life back on track after a series of dead-end jobs. Maggie delivers two babies for Donovan and Chip, ""twiblings"" Teddy and Kai, and ten years pass happily for both families. But when a family-tree report uncovers some puzzling genetic information and launches a search into Teddy and Kai's background, a medical mystery unfolds with Maggie at its center. Friedland (That's Not a Thing, 2020) spins a web of intrigue, questioning the truest expression of parenthood. Fans of Nicola Marsh, Tana French, and Hannah Mary McKinnon will race through this thrilling exploration of nature versus nurture and the sacrifices needed to keep loved ones together.

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Starred review from August 1, 2021
A novel takes a deep dive into what goes wrong--and right--between a surrogate mother and the gay couple whose fertilized eggs she carries. Donovan Gallo-Rigsdale and Chip Rigsdale have a solid marriage and now really want children. They engage Maggie Wingate to carry their fertilized eggs to term. This she does; all goes smoothly; and Donovan and Chip become the proud parents of Kai and Teddy. But a DNA test done some years later shows no genetic connection between Donovan and Kai. The egg he fertilized did not attach itself, and Kai is in fact the son of Maggie and her husband, Nick, conceived shortly after she accepted the donor eggs. This is extremely rare but is possible. To say that this news is cataclysmic is an understatement. Donovan and Chip have proved to be wonderful parents, but so are Maggie and Nick. The real tragedy--and strength--of this riveting story is that there are no villains here. The battle over Kai begins, the point of view toggling between Maggie and Donovan. Friedland is a very talented writer who creates rounded characters and gets deep into their heads: "The window" in Maggie's brain "becomes a door, then a long hallway...into an enormous stadium, an arena, filled with" a certain dawning understanding. Maggie understands how much Donovan must love Kai, but the child is her own flesh and blood, and she and Nick have always wanted a brother for their son, Wyatt. Donovan has the added fear that the judge overseeing the case might be homophobic. But Donovan is no less of a fighter. And Donovan and Maggie are clashing not over a pet or a painting but a sensitive and very bright human being. It would seem that Kai is just as torn as his parents. Indeed, the underlying question in a case like this has to be what really, besides biology, defines a parent. (It is hard to imagine a better novel for a book club discussion.) The conclusion to all this comes with an absolutely stunning revelation. A thoughtful and gripping family tale that will haunt readers long after finishing it.

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