Genre: Comedy, Chicklit
Publisher: David C. Cook
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Reviewed by Lori Twichell
It’s not often that you see a coming of age novel that isn’t about a teenager, but Stretch Marks fits the bill. Mia Rathbun is nearing the end of her twenties, set in a career and a relationship. Even though she seems to have everything going her way, she’s not quite settled in her life. The two main relationships in her life are rocky at best. Her live in boyfriend, Lars, is a free lance writer who’s more often free than lance these days. Their relationship is familiar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s comfortable or better yet, growing. Mia has a habit of suppressing concerns and masking issues in order to keep the peace. This is a habit that most likely developed due to her mother’s decision to leave the family when Mia was younger. This brings us to that other big relationship in her life…
Mia’s mother, a cruise director on a ship, has been an in and out influence in her daughter’s life. More often than not she has a million things going on and calls Mia to dispense advice in a manner not too different from a candy machine in a grocery store lobby. A few hits. A few misses. And every now and then you get something good.
This is the life into which Stuart introduces a new character and with it, much conflict. Mia’s baby. As with real life, a pregnancy changes everything and it can really challenge where you are in your life. Mia’s views on the world and her relationships all begin to come into question. Especially when she shares her unexpected pregnancy with Lars… And things don’t settle down any further when her mother decides to visit. Can we say chaos?
From there, everything spirals into control. That’s right. As life seems to be spinning further and further out of control, Mia’s focus sharpens and she finally begins to pull things together and face issues she never even realized she had.
With a heavy topic like unplanned pregnancy, Stuart could have gone easily into the dramatic realm and preached a hard line. Instead, she infused the story with humor and light dialogue while balancing serious topics. The result is an enjoyable journey that deals with real life stress and chaos in a very relatable way. Stuart’s sharing of other people’s faith is never heavy handed or preachy and the book leaves you feeling very hopeful. People make mistakes every day. We all do. And yet no matter what the mistake is, there’s always hope that we can learn and grow through what we’ve done. Perhaps we can even come out better for it on the other side.
Add A Comment