The Exact Same Moon

September 1, 2003
In Fifty Acres and a Poodle, Laskas recounted her move to a tranquil Pennsylvania farm. Now that she and her husband have settled in, she artfully chronicles her daily routine caring for the farm animals, meeting neighbors and visiting her mother, who's very ill with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (an inflammatory disorder resulting in paralysis). While Laskas lives an apparently idyllic life, her mother's sickness triggers her own desire to become a mother. She writes, "Ever since my mom got sick... I've been trying to figure out what to do with this hole in my heart, and for a while it was going away, but now it's just getting bigger...." Laskas, 39, unsuccessfully tries to repress her need to be a mom, and soon, she and her husband are involved in fertility testing and exploring adoption. Laskas details her search for motherhood with evocative writing. She discusses with equal aplomb both mundane matters, like learning about pasture management at an "Equine Clinic" and taking the dogs for a walk, and significant events like going to China to adopt a baby. Her descriptions are strong enough to make even readers unfamiliar with her situation feel moved, as when she writes, "A mother's love comes on like a thunderstorm. You may or may not hear the rumble as it approaches, you may or may not have time to close your windows and call in your cat. But when the storm comes, the storm is all there is. The sky opens and weeps and howls and devours." Agent, Andrew Blauner. (Nov. 4)Forecast:Laskas writes a column in the Washington Post Magazine, and her publisher plans ads in the Washington Post Book World. She should also get coverage in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania media, which could help sales.