The Baby – A J Mcdine

Summary

The harsh light streams into the living room. On the worn rug sits an out-of-place wooden drawer and swaddled inside, with rosy cheeks and large round eyes, a baby looks up at me. A shiver runs through me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…

Rocking the small bundle in my arms, I’m reminded of a time when I’d pictured tiny booties in every version of my future. The day I was told I’d never have a baby, the ground fell from beneath me. Could this be my one chance to become a mother?

As the sun sets, the baby begins to stir. His peaceful sleep disturbed by the sound of keys rattling against the front door. Frozen in panic, and with my heart pounding in my chest, I don’t have time to think before my husband, Miles, appears in the doorway. His face contorts in shock glimpsing the child cradled against my chest.

I hear his questions, but I can’t answer them. The truth is, I really don’t know what happened.

Did I steal the baby from a loving mother, or did I do it to protect him? And when dawn breaks, will I give him back?

Review

I’m going to start this by saying that I was very, very intrigued by the synopsis; however, when I started reading, I was not really convinced by the circumstances regarding how the protagonist didn’t remember anything at all from the previous night, so far as to actually gaslight herself as to think she took the baby or that the baby was actually hers all along. In the realm of inpausabilities, this was not it.

We mainly read from the POV of Lucy, who is married to Miles and has a “slight” problem with alcohol, but around the late quarter of the book we get an additional narration.

I liked where the author took the concept and how everything gets explained, as well as the writing of Lucy’s chapters. Even so, I struggled with some characterization and connecting with some parts. Still a very engaging read, though! I think I’ll check out A. J. McDine’s other works soon.