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A review by curlyjessreads
He Gets That From Me by Jacqueline Friedland
4.0
This was definitely an interesting book that kept your attention and kept you guessing the whole way through. Sadly I wasn't able to make the book club meeting for it because I know there was a lot of good discussion and it probably would have helped me work through some of my thoughts.
Maggie agrees to be a surrogate for a gay couple, Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, as a way to better her financial position and go to college. When she successfully gives birth to twins and gives them to the Rigsdales, she thinks that is the end of things. However (minor spoiler),10 years later a DNA test proves that one of the boys is in fact her son. Thus begins the roller coaster of decisions. What defines a family? What rights does either side have? Does DNA change your relationship with someone? What is the "best interest" of a child?
The story is told from both Chip and Maggie's side from the past, as well as the present. While I did enjoy the book and thought it was a good story, I felt like some of the characters (especially Maggie) were not fully fleshed out. There was a huge point about her family that was revealed pretty late (even to her) that did help explain some of it, but she felt like a confusing character, often making decisions that didn't seem in line with who she was or portrayed herself to be. I definitely felt like there could have been more depth to the characters to understand them. Although maybe that was part of the point. Who knows how we would act in this scenario? Who's to say we would act "in character" if faced with the same situations?
Also, the 'epilogue' was an interesting addition, that almost throws the whole story upside down a bit. I'm not sure if it was needed, or if it goes further into, people acting out of character.
Maggie agrees to be a surrogate for a gay couple, Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, as a way to better her financial position and go to college. When she successfully gives birth to twins and gives them to the Rigsdales, she thinks that is the end of things. However (minor spoiler),10 years later a DNA test proves that one of the boys is in fact her son. Thus begins the roller coaster of decisions. What defines a family? What rights does either side have? Does DNA change your relationship with someone? What is the "best interest" of a child?
The story is told from both Chip and Maggie's side from the past, as well as the present. While I did enjoy the book and thought it was a good story, I felt like some of the characters (especially Maggie) were not fully fleshed out. There was a huge point about her family that was revealed pretty late (even to her) that did help explain some of it, but she felt like a confusing character, often making decisions that didn't seem in line with who she was or portrayed herself to be. I definitely felt like there could have been more depth to the characters to understand them. Although maybe that was part of the point. Who knows how we would act in this scenario? Who's to say we would act "in character" if faced with the same situations?
Also, the 'epilogue' was an interesting addition, that almost throws the whole story upside down a bit. I'm not sure if it was needed, or if it goes further into, people acting out of character.