"The Surrogate is a thrilling, high-stakes debut centering on a
vulnerable newborn and two women who will do almost anything to claim
her as their daughter. With a collection of vividly rendered characters,
this twisty tale will leave you thinking about the true meaning of
motherhood long after you turn the last page. I loved it!"--Patry
Francis, bestselling author of All the Children Are Home
Ruth is a no-nonsense fortysomething journalist from the Midwest,
desperate for a child with her new husband, Hal. Their hope rests with
Cally, a nineteen-year- old who wants to go to college--but doesn't have
the cash. The arrangement seems perfect for everyone.
But within a day of the baby's birth, Cally has a change of heart--and
engineers a harrowing escape from the hospital with the newborn. When
Ruth and Hal discover that Cally and their daughter are gone, a whole
series of doubts and secrets is revealed, and the difference between
right and wrong is no longer clear.
Set in the vast, sparsely populated upper reaches of northern Minnesota
in the middle of winter, The Surrogate follows Ruth, Hal, Cally,
through a maze of thought-provoking questions about the nature of
family, love, and relationships: What would you do for your partner,
when the going gets tough? How much is a pregnancy "worth"? And who, if
anyone, "deserves" to be a mother?
