The Unfinished Child

March 4, 2013
The birth and death of Carolyn Harrington, a girl with Down syndrome, are at the heart of this complex and sensitive debut novel set in Edmonton, Alberta. The medical establishment of 1947 regards baby Carolyn as an "unfinished child" and persuades her parents, Margaret and Donald, to place her in an institution where conditions turn out to be appalling. More than 50 years later, two Edmonton women in their late 30s confront issues that might destroy their lifelong friendship: just as Elizabeth Crewes gives up trying to have a baby after years of treatments for unexplained infertility, Marie MacPherson discovers to her surprise that she is pregnant with her third child, and then, following prenatal testing, that the child has Down syndrome. Shea develops the friendship between Marie and Elizabeth with insight into the competing desires of two women whose perfectionism makes them want to control the size of their families and the shape of their lives. At times, the exposition of the many medical issues Shea addresses in this novel can weigh down the dialogue, particularly in conversations between the women and their husbands. Yet the various strands of the plot come together in a gripping climax, raising compelling questions about moral responsibility in a 21st-century world that offers more choices than were available to the Harringtons decades before.

March 1, 2013
Margaret and Donald Harrington are thrilled to be having their first baby. But in the 1940s, a baby born with Down syndrome was considered more of a curse, and their daughter, Carolyn, is immediately sent to an institution. In 2002, Marie and her husband, Barry, are less than thrilled with her surprise pregnancy. It further complicates Marie's relationship with her best friend, Elizabeth, whose own infertility has driven a wedge between her and her husband, Ron. The stories of these three Edmonton women living in two different times converge when Marie discovers that her unborn child has Down syndrome. This is not a feel-good book, and Shea does not shy away from the harsh realities of institutional life, but the characters are engaging, complicated women struggling with issues outside of their control. For such a highly emotional story line, the pace moves quickly without becoming overwrought or maudlin. Book groups could have heated discussions about the decisions each character makesand whether or not the decisions were truly the will of each woman. This controversial story will appeal to readers of Jodi Picoult.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)