The Surrogate Mother

“I’m not the kind of person who goes to jail for murder. I’m not. I’ve never even gotten a speeding ticket. Hell, I’ve never even jaywalked before. I’m the most law-abiding citizen who ever was.”

The novel’s Prologue immediately creates intrigue and narrative tension as Abby Adler reveals that she faces a charge of first-degree murder. The protagonist’s first-person narration is characterized by a natural conversational tone, encouraging readers to empathize with her. However, Abby’s hyperbolic statement that she is “the most law-abiding citizen who ever was” prompts the readers to question whether she is a reliable narrator.

“At this moment in time, my life is just about perfect.”

In Chapter 1, the narrative’s temporal shift to a year earlier allows McFadden to depict the point from which Abby’s life unravels. The protagonist’s description of her life as “just about perfect” conveys the dramatic change in fortune that she is about to experience.

“Back when I first started working at Stewart, I thought the games were a real hoot. Somewhere between my third and tenth negative pregnancy test, they stopped being so much fun. Around the twentieth negative test, it became a form of torture. When I saw those big, swollen bellies, I wanted to hide in a bathroom stall and sob, not celebrate by making little Franken-babies out of magazine clippings.”

Abby’s reflection on the many baby showers she has attended at Stewart Advertising underlines the novel’s thematic exploration of The Psychological Impact of Infertility. The protagonist conveys her journey from hope to despair in her changing attitude toward the “fun” baby shower activities. The games were initially “a real hoot” when Abby believed that she would be celebrating her own pregnancy one day. However, after years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive, making “little Franken-babies” has become “torture,” painfully reminding the protagonist of her childlessness.