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Baby Steps

K. L. McLoughlin
Langdon Street Press (2008)
ISBN 9780979912092
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/09)

Two years after the death of her husband, Lynda Blake comes to the realization that it is time for the way that she has been living her life to change.  The book begins with Lynda hosting an adult toy party.  In the midst of the product demonstrations, her 17-year-old son Sean unexpectedly arrives home causing embarrassment to both of them. 

The next day while out shopping, Lynda spies a demonstration going on outside a clinic.  She sees a young girl who looks like she wants to go in but is threatened by the presence of the protestors.  Lynda takes it upon herself to assist this girl, whom she finds out is Maddie, the girlfriend of her son’s friend Paul.  After accompanying Maddie inside she meets a handsome doctor, Dr. Michael, and her life is changed from there on out.

“Baby Steps” is completely written from a pro-choice point of view, which is where a touch of controversy comes in.  The pro-choice and pro-life debate often can become very heated and as this book “chooses sides” people who are pro-life may not fully be behind all of the main character Lynda’s actions and ideas.  Regardless of your beliefs though, I think that there are still some life lessons that can be learned from this fictional novel.  One of the parts that I especially enjoyed was when Lynda had her son care for an infant for a day in an effort to teach him that he was too young to be a father.  The boy was thoroughly exhausted and drained and learned that it was no easy task to care for a young child.

With McLoughlin’s debut novel you will find an enjoyable read with well-developed characters.  The portrayal of the bond between Lynda and her son was one of the highlights of the book for me.  I enjoyed watching their interactions and seeing her style of parenting.

The book moves very quickly and at fewer than 200 pages it is a very fast read.  This would be the perfect book to pack in a bag to take to the beach this summer.  I enjoyed this new author’s engaging and thought-provoking writing style and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.   

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