JOIN USPretty Baby
Mary Kubica
Harlequin MIRA
2015, pp 416, Rs 299
An out-of-the-box, fast moving thriller is the accurate description of Mary Kubica’s latest book, Pretty Baby. The book takes the readers on a roller-coaster ride along with the kind-hearted protagonist, Heidi Wood.
A chance encounter with a homeless teenage girl carrying a baby in her arms in the train platform changes Heidi’s life. Of course, Kubica’s heroine is no ordinary person who looks at a stranger and averts eyes, or moves away. She is not even that kind who would give some money in an act of charity, and then forget all about it conveniently. Heidi shocks her family by bringing the unknown girl and the baby straight home.
Working in a non-profit literacy agency, Heidi is completely at home with people below the poverty line, and truly has a bleeding heart. Her husband, Chris, however, does not share similar sympathies for Heidi’s favoured clients, and believes that his wife cares more for those “immigrants” and “refugees” rather than her husband. The not-so-normal family life of the Woods is clear from the very beginning of the book. Both the narratives of Heidi and Chris highlight the gradual development of a fissure in their relationship. The sullenness of their 12-year-old daughter, Zoe, too signifies the crack in the Woods’ home. As Zoe gets moody and distant, Chris immerses himself in work with the sole purpose of earning more and more money, all the while trying to avoid the sexual temptations at workplace.
As Heidi tries her best to cope up with the tension at home, she finds herself reminiscing the past often. Memories of her dead father, as well as the child whom she lost in her womb, trouble her every now and then. Her forced abortion in the first trimester, while undergoing a hysterectomy to combat cervical cancer, leaves Heidi completely disillusioned. Even after many years, the pain of the loss lingers in her mind. Fluctuating between the past and present, Heidi is unable to ignore the baby’s pleading cries in the station and invites the teenage girl, Willow, and the baby, Ruby, to join her in a diner nearby. Typical of her ‘Good Samaritan’ act, however, the act of kindness does not stop there and soon the homeless girl and the child find place in Heidi’s home.
Kubica’s ability to manoeuvre her plot masterfully is seen in the way she blends the narrations of the three prominent characters in the book — Heidi, Chris and Willow. Willow’s story of her past intrigues the readers, and the author reveals her mysterious life bit by bit. Sometimes the reader will tend to get impatient at the slow pace at which the answers to the puzzle come by, but the reward for patience comes soon, with the understanding of Kubica’s craftsmanship at plot and character development, making us wonder at the fact that Pretty Baby is just the second book of the author.
Kubica’s understanding of human psychology is truly profound. She touches upon many sensitive issues in the book without being overtly judgemental. There are many significant matters to ponder upon in Willow’s story of her past. Without disclosing much, her past highlights the true condition of foster care system, where things are done superficially rather than properly for the benefit of the children. Willow’s story may in reality ring the bell for many such situations of suffering and neglect of adopted children.
Kubica’s broad arena of thought-provoking concerns in the book ranging from foster care, homelessness, child abuse, midlife marriage crisis, consequences of unattended grief, illuminate that this thriller is not a simple, easy-to-forget one-time read. As Heidi becomes more and more absorbed in Willow and baby Ruby, we see the permanent cracks increasing in her family life with Chris and Zoe seeking solace away from home. Things are not easy for Heidi either. The memories of the past, the tensions at home, desperateness to understand the mysterious Willow, and finally the feeling of losing her husband to his sexy colleague, Cassidy Knudsen, bog her down. Losing her ability to think logically, she is almost on the verge of committing adultery, but finally withdraws herself on time.
As the suspense mounts, Kubica thankfully does not resort to fixing things the shortcut way. Like a true specimen of a thriller, there is a proper disclosure of hidden mysteries and all loose ends are tied up. Kubica scores as a master storyteller in the way she structures the ending of the book, too. The impact of the mounting grief of her past and the tensions of the present could only lead to a psychological imbalance for Heidi. The relationship between Heidi and Willow too undergoes many ups and downs. Receiving kindness for the first time in her life, Willow is naturally drawn towards Heidi. But, is Heidi merely being kind to Willow, and in turn Willow is being gratified, or are there some hidden complexities between them at play? No shortcuts for true satisfaction, grab the book and enjoy…