It feels almost criminal to give a book like this 3 stars because it is anything but average, but I am not sure how else to represent my feelings about it.
Baby is the very weird story of two women who spontaneously decide to run off together. One of them is a 21 year old named Cynthia, who acts more like an 18 year old. This boat is sort of her dream, and most of the book focuses on things from her perspective. Anahera is her older ex-yoga instructor turned mother figure turned inappropriate crush. The book focuses on this very uncomfortable relationship dynamic, as well as what happens when they are joined by a mysterious man who upsets their dynamic.
This book is incredibly unique and not entirely coherent. I think I wanted a more coherent experience to be honest; I love stories about dark female friendships, and this had a lot of promise, but it remains a little too out there and disconnected from reality for any of the unpleasant elements to hit right. Cynthia is a deeply disturbed woman who is emotionally juvenile. You never quite learn what Anahera's deal with, which I think is a real shame. There are hints that Cynthia's viewpoint is skewing things at various points, but it's missing that other side which would really make the horror-esque elements hit home.
The other thing to mention about this book is that it's incredibly disgusting with its description. I get nauseated quite easily and large passages of this book were deeply unpleasant, with no real reason for it. There's a lot of stuff revolving around physical description or bodily fluids that I could have done without.
Finally, the ending was the most disappointing aspect of this book for me. If it had a punchier ending, I think I would have given this book 4 stars despite its flaws. But it just kind of ends with no real bite, and while I get what it was going for, I wanted something more.
Overall, I think there are books which do this concept better (Social Creature springs to mind) but I can't say I regret reading it. It's a bizarre time and I think it will stand out in my memory for that fact alone. Some people will absolutely love this book because it's not the kind of story you can be 'indifferent' to really. If you think you might be one of them, give it a try
Overall Rating:
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