Author: Natasha Friend
What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Hollis and her mother, Leigh, are grieving the loss of Pam, Leigh's wife and Hollis's parent. Milo suffers from food allergies and wants to know his medical history. Hollis has never met her sperm-donor father, but when Milo, who has the same sperm donor, contacts Hollis, she agrees to help him connect with their biological father. Together they meet two additional half-siblings, come to terms with their parentage, and learn to appreciate their families.
What I think (in 250 words or fewer): The concept for this story fascinated me so much that I did some Internet research. The Donor Progeny Project described in this book does not exist--but a Donor Sibling Registry does, so a story like The Other F-Word is theoretically possible.
The story is told from the points-of-view of Milo and Hollis, and even though the marital tension between Milo's two moms and Milo's allergies make up some of the plot, the heart of the story is centered around Hollis and Leigh. Neither of them have been able to move on after Pam's death and the search for Donor #9677 serves as healing for them both; the situation even leads to them both finding potential love interests.
My issue with this story is that it seems incomplete. Readers don't learn much about Abby and Noah, the other half-siblings conceived with the donor. I would have liked the book to be longer so that we could read their points-of-view. And the ending was realistically hopeful but still make the story feel unfinished to me. I very much want to know what happens next with the characters!
The story also made me think a lot about nature vs. nuture. Hollis and Milo both like books (which makes this teacher and librarian very happy!) and then wonder if they got this from their donor, who has a degree in English. How much of that is nature vs. nurture? Can interests and intelligence be inherited? The answer is "maybe?" and is fascinating to research.
This book is on the 2018 Rainbow Book List.
My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): I really liked the concept and thought the characters were interesting, but the ending felt flat to me. I wished the book had been longer and explored additional character viewpoints. I don't think I will re-read this book--unless a sequel is written. I would definitely read a sequel.
My favorite quotes/passages:
- "You want me to leave the Shire and go face the freaking dragon with you?" (pg. 53, hardback edition).
- "Someday, she would leave her mother and go to some crunchy liberal arts school like this, where nobody cared what part of your body you pierced or whether or not you shaved your armpits. Where there were political rallies and sit-ins and Frisbee golf and late-night pizza and everyone could hook up without judgment" (pg. 171).
- "He'll be in touch, he says. After . . . you know . . . he puts his thoughts in a ziplock bag with some Thousand Island dressing" (pg. 262).
- "'We look like a bunch of weirdos.'
'We are a bunch of weirdos,' Noah said.
'Speak for yourselves,' Hollis said, fluffing her wig. 'I'm Lady Gaga'" (pg. 281).
Other reviews: We Live and Breathe Books and Here's to Happy Endings
This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.
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