5-Star Review of "Claiming Noah"

Review of Claiming Noah


by Amanda Ortlepp



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Catriona and James are desperate for children, and embark on an IVF program. After a gruelling round of treatments, Catriona finally falls pregnant, and they donate their remaining embryo anonymously.

Diana and Liam are on a waiting list to receive an embryo. Sooner than expected, they are thrilled to discover one is available.

After a difficult pregnancy, Catriona gives birth to Sebastian. But severe postnatal depression affects her badly, and quickly turns into deadly psychosis. For her protection and her baby’s, she’s admitted into psychiatric care. When she comes home, she again struggles to bond with her baby, but gradually life finds its own rhythm.

Meanwhile, Diana has given birth to a beautiful little boy, Noah.
But when he is two months old Noah is abducted … and Diana and Liam’s nightmare begins.

Where is Noah?
 

MY REVIEW:   I recall years ago, when I was a teenager in the 1970's about the first test-tube baby as it was called then.   It was a huge ethical dilemma in that time period.  Today, IVF and other similar methods to have a child are commonplace for couples with infertility.  Catriona and James find themselves in the throws of infertility while Diana and Liam are also struggling through infertility as well.  Postpartum depression turns into postpartum psychosis and Catriona and Sebastian are in danger of her own behaviors.  Diana has a baby using a donated egg, but the nightmare of all nightmares occurs when Noah is kidnapped in his stroller while grocery shopping with his mother.  Liam blames Diana for not watching Noah closely enough and allowing the kidnapping to take place.  The paths of the two couples begin to cross in ways neither of them ever dreamed possible. 
             I don't want to spoil the book for readers and it would be easy to do if I continue describing the plot.   I really was enthralled with this book and just couldn't wait to get back to reading it.   One part seemed very farfetched to me concerning Sebastian a few days after his mother entered a psychiatric hospital for treatment of her postpartum psychosis.  This book is well-written and does not rely on cursing and sex to sell the book.   
         I rated this book 5 stars and think readers should check out this debut novel of Amanda Ortlepp.   
         I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author:
Amanda Ortlepp

Amanda Ortlepp's debut novel, Claiming Noah, was published in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Its ethical dilemmas and emotionally-charged themes struck a chord with mothers and book clubs in particular and it became a bestseller. Claiming Noah will be published in the US and Canada in July 2016. Amanda's second novel, Running Against the Tide, is set on the remote Eyre Peninsula in South Australia where her father grew up. It was published in Australia and New Zealand in 2016. Amanda lives in Sydney.

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