The novel Sing You Home focuses on infertility, same-sex marriage, and reproductive rights. At the beginning of the story, we get a glimpse of the life of the Baxter couple.
After nine years of unsuccessful attempts, they are finally blessed with a child. It seems like their life is on track. Zoe is seven months pregnant and tries to enjoy the awkward and impersonal baby shower organised by her colleagues. This party perfectly reflects Zoe’s personality. She has no close friends because she consciously distanced herself from her social circle over the past nine years. Her social life has shrunk, and everything revolves around the unborn child.
The following lines contain spoilers, so if you’d rather skip, jump to the “END OF SPOILER” paragraph.
Zoe’s happiness doesn’t last long as she loses her baby in the twenty-eighth week. Grief and loss do not break her; instead, they intensify her desire for a child. She becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming a mother, even putting her own physical well-being at risk to achieve this goal. This obsession eats away at her relationship. Her husband, Max Baxter, ends the marriage, leaving Zoe out of the decision. Years of failure have undermined his self-esteem, and he feels that all intimacy has vanished from their relationship. He doesn’t want to be a father. He gives up and returns to drinking. While Max struggles in his own hell, Zoe tries to start a new life. She looks for herself, and a completely different life unfolds before her. She finds love in her colleague, Vanessa Shaw. Max is deeply hurt by Zoe’s lesbianism, as it insults his pride and makes him doubt his own masculinity. The resentment is further fuelled by Pastor Clive of the “Eternal Glory” congregation. The author based this fictional congregation on a real organization, Exodus International, which operated for almost thirty-six years. They claimed that sexual orientation was a choice. The congregation had many ex-gays who believed they could live a “normal” heterosexual life simply by denying their true selves.
The more balanced and equal relationship Zoe shares with Vanessa reignites her desire to have a family. There are three remaining embryos from the IVF treatment. A legal battle ensues: whose embryos are they? Do Zoe and Vanessa, as a couple, have a right to claim the unborn child, given that Max doesn’t want children but insists on keeping the embryos to give them to his heterosexual brother?
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Does a homosexual couple have a chance against a heterosexual couple? What can be considered a family? Is there unconditional love that transcends sexual orientation? Can we love others for who they are, or does everything depend on the object of our attraction? Jodi Picoult takes a strong stand on these issues in her novel. For authenticity, she also incorporates real elements into the story. A good example is GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders), a real organization in New England that works toward eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. They provide legal assistance to those in disadvantaged situations.
As a bonus, since Zoe is a music therapist, the book comes with a free music playlist that helps set the mood for the story.
The book is available for purchase at bookstores.
Translation by Vivi
