Leave It to Claire

October 17, 2005
In this lighthearted, inspirational "mom lit" offering, Bateman (The Color of the Soul
) introduces readers to Claire, a single mom and relatively successful author of Christian romance novels, whose life is beginning to come apart. Claire's doctor tells her she needs wrist surgery, which will prevent her working for six weeks. One son is writing suggestive poetry about the secretary at school, while another has started wearing black and hanging out with the skateboarding crowd. Her 16-year-old daughter resents her, and her mother is moving away. On top of that, her ex-husband and his wife, Darcy, have become Christians and started regularly attending her church, and it appears that beautiful, thin Darcy would actually like to be Claire's friend. Claire puts together a to-do list with things like "Go to church more," "Reconnect with my children" and "Exercise—maybe" and sets out to change her life. But will she be able to forgive her ex? And what will become of her friendship with one son's good-looking male teacher? Bateman's writing is simple and at times clichéd, but she delves into difficult topics while managing to keep things light. Claire is far from an ideal Christian—she's a regular person who struggles and keeps trying. Readers will enjoy and relate to her, and the plot, if predictable, will pull them along.