Becca's Baby

Becca’s Baby is the first book in the Shelter Valley Stories series by American author, Tara Taylor Quinn. After years of trying, when she has finally given up all hope, Becca Parsons falls pregnant at the age of forty-two. Her husband, Will is overjoyed, but puzzled by Becca’s strangely lukewarm reaction and shocked when she talks of termination. The strong loving relationship between them suffers, but the support of close family and the Shelter Valley community helps them come to terms with decisions they both need to make. Sub-plots involve a colleague of Will’s whose behaviour warrants censure and a prospective colleague who is removing her sister from an abusive relationship. Quinn touches on several issues: late-in-life pregnancy, adultery, domestic violence, parental sexual abuse and student-teacher relationships. While this could have been a sweet romance, there is rather too much soul-searching on the part of the main characters, enough to make the reader want to shake them and tell them to stop being so self-indulgent and get on with life. Quinn has done better.