Book Synopsis:
Dynah Carey knew where her life was headed. Engaged to a wonderful man, the daughter of doting parents, a faithful child of God―she has it all. Then the unthinkable happens: Dynah’s perfect life is irrevocably changed by a rape that results in an unwanted pregnancy.
Her family is torn apart and her seemingly rock-solid faith is pushed to the limits as she faces the most momentous choice of her life: to embrace or to end the life within her.
This is ultimately a tale of three women, as Dynah’s plight forces both her mother and her grandmother to confront the choices they made. Written with balance and compassion, The Atonement Child brings a new perspective to a widely debated topic.
My Review:
3.5/5 stars. This book had some redeeming moments, but it also infuriated me at times. The overall message was great, but I think it could've been executed better. I liked how complex the characters were, but some of the side characters seemed like caricatures and over-the-top. However, it was good that it showed how abortion affects many different people involved, directly and indirectly.
The parts that infuriated me were some of the characters and their reactions, like Ethan, Dean Abernathy, and Dynah's father at first. I think they were supposed to, and they definitely did. I hated Ethan. Even right from the start, I was weirded out by his relationship. I could've been misunderstanding it, but it seemed like he and Dynah got engaged only three months after meeting, and that Dynah was a freshman while Ethan was a senior. Already not a good start.
In contrast to Ethan, Joe was by far the best character in this novel. He was always there and was so sweet and supportive. He didn't want Dynah to get an abortion, but he cared about both the baby's life and her life. The scene where he told Dean Abernathy how wrong he was was so satisfying. I was rooting for Joe and Dynah the whole book, so I'm glad it finally paid off.
Another thing that infuriated me was how doctors and everyone early on just assumed that Dynah was going to want an abortion and scheduled it for her without even asking. That part, sadly, felt realistic, though. Similarly, people never even brought up adoption as an option until towards the end. It was either "it'll ruin your future or you have to kill it."
There was one thing that Dynah's dad said that really confused me, that made him -- or the author, I guess -- seem straight up racist. When he was freaking out about how Dynah didn't see who raped her and so he could be anyone, he says "what if he's black?" Maybe that's another misunderstanding or typo or something, but it caught me off guard as very offensive with no explanation.
Moving on to some positives, I like how the story showed that abortion causes trauma and has effects that never go away. It's not just a simple procedure and then it's done, but it's something that has mental and physical repercussions after the fact. I also liked that it showed how abortion affects so many different people, like the doctors who perform them, the spouses of abortionists, family members of those getting abortions, etc. I especially loved Jim Wyatt, the doctor, and his redemption arc.
One little thing I wasn't a fan of was that it seemed like the author was trying to teach that not having children at all was also a bad thing. Some people just don't want children, even Christians, and that's not a bad thing. That was a very minor detail, but it was mentioned in a negative light.
Finally, I would've preferred a different ending. It was very cute and satisfying, but I wish Dynah had actually decided to give her baby up for adoption. It would show that adoption is a very valid option when your circumstances aren't the best for raising a child. Don't abort babies, but you also don't have to keep them. I just think it would have been a better way to show that abortion is bad and that there are other options out there.
Content:
Language: wh*re, r*tarded
Sexual Content: lots of mentions of what people would think about Dynah and Ethan, suggestive comments between married couples, talk of birth control and contraceptives, mentions of pregnancies out of wedlock, a girl tries to get a guy to take her to his room to hook up, mention of someone being a "sex symbol", light kisses
Violence/Gore: sexual assault is obviously a very big part of the plot. It's not shown in any detail or described, though
Drugs/Alcohol: None that I can remember
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