by Amy Julia Becker of Thin Places-Faith, Family, & Disability from Patheos.com:
Over the past month, I have had the privilege of corresponding with Theresa Shea, author of The Unfinished Child, a novel about two families whose lives are affected by Down syndrome. In one narrative, set in the mid 1940s, Margaret gives birth to Carolyn, and her doctor convinces her to send Carolyn to an institution immediately. In the other, set in the early 2000′s, Marie finds out that at age 39 she is unexpectedly pregnant (with a husband and two tween daughters), and that her baby has Down syndrome.
I am fairly confident that I would have loved this book even if I didn’t have a child of my own with Down syndrome, because it’s not really about Down syndrome. It’s about family and suffering and compassion and culture and love and why we make the choices we make.
Thankfully, Theresa Shea agreed to an interview with me, which I will print here today and tomorrow. Meanwhile, I hope you will purchase or download your own copy of The Unfinished Child today.
How did you come up with the title The Unfinished Child?
Originally, I had another working title for the book, but one day I came across an article in a medical journal that explained doctors used to call babies born with Down syndrome “unfinished children” because it was believed that their bodies hadn’t fully developed in the womb. Right away I thought — there’s my title.
For me, the title resonates on so many levels. The unfinished child can refer to the baby with Down syndrome or the baby that is terminated. On a more abstract level, it refers to everybody, for I often wonder if any of us are every really “finished.” Aren’t we all a work in progress?
