Unexpected Child

Patricia Grossman

Unsentimental, yet moving and tender account of lesbian parenting. Although the book is somewhat predictable, the sensitively written characters give it a human interest and depth which draws you in. By the end of the book you really care what happens to Meg and Kimble. Not a challenging read, but a warm, feel-good story.

Extract

Finally, they tried on the new clothes. Every gesture, every new layer bared, was a revelation to Meg, who had not seen a toddler's body in many years. The loose, unmuscled skin of Kimble's round chest, her tiny, fat toes, nails still streaked with glitter polish ('See?' asked Kimble, pointing to her toes); her mottled little thighs beneath the sagging bluebird patterned underpants - all were distant, familiar, achingly exotic placed amid this annual ride to Sullivan County.

Parallels