Inconceivable

October 30, 2000
Despite their repeated efforts, Sam and Lucy Bell, the loving yet infertile protagonists of British comedian Elton's (Popcorn) romantic comedy, cannot conceive a baby. When Lucy decides that their childlessness is at least partly due to the stress brought on by their efforts to conceive, she insists that they each keep diaries, to privately sort out their thoughts and emotions. The two diaries tell the story, with often hilariously divergent perspectives on the couple's reproductive struggle. Yet sperm tests, full-moon "bonks" on Primrose Hill, annoying New Age home remedies and Lucy's long-distance "adoption" of an endangered baby gorilla are not their only concerns. Sam, a frustrated would-be writer, is in the middle of a creative block, and he is also on the verge of losing his less-than-enthralling job as an executive at the BBC. Lucy, meanwhile, is being pursued romantically by a dashing but arrogant clientDshe's a film agentDand against her wishes, Sam is secretly using their troubles and diaries as inspiration for the screenplay he is finally writing. Despite his betrayal, Sam remains sweetly endearing. Elton captures the spirit of the modern bloke and the confusion that arises from a desire to be sensitive to one's partner's emotional needs while fulfilling traditional expectations of manhood. Laced with hip, witty asides, this he-said she-said comedy handily overcomes a somewhat sluggish start and manages to be both touching and laugh-out-loud funny. The book may receive some attention via the film Maybe Baby, based on this novel, directed by Elton and released in Australia this past August.

December 1, 2000
Trying to become pregnant can turn sex into an act of forced labor and drudgery. Fortunately, talents like the U.K.'s Elton can turn it all on its head to create a laughing-out-loud novel in which Lucy, using thermometers, New Age remedies, and specimen jars, "keeps trying," and husband Sam, who's a BBC executive, "keeps going along with it all." As this marital tragicomedy unfolds, readers are made privy to the couple's alternating diary entries, thus seeing them as they see each other and themselves, all too often a most incongruent mix. Though married for more than a decade, these two, like so many couples, seem to know precious little about each other and even less about themselves. Lucy's demands almost drive Sam insane, and the stress of "trying" eventually strains their marriage until they hilariously and hurtfully betray each other. Elton strives for a balance between tearful poignancy and belly laughs, and, happily, often succeeds in this clever, entertaining, and timely novel. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)