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While the novel would be despised by those who promote the killing of newborns, ordinary folk who think unborn and newborn lives matter will applaud Jackson for a well-wrought and fast-paced drama of a teenager convicted of infanticide.
That Jackson has written such a finely-constructed novel without being a preachy rendition of life-affirming positions is remarkable, especially since several characters espouse ideas which are reprehensible. For example, while Ted, the father of Mary’s unborn child, seems like an upstanding teenager who commits to act like a real man by supporting Mary and their baby, he is involved in a prostitution racket to make money to support them.
Similarly, although she seems quiet, Mary is open to beating or killing the other girls in her foster care home to defend herself and (later, when she is pregnant) their unborn child.
While the racism against whites which many of the other young women in the home utter should appall any reader, such racist beliefs are at least realistic for characters who think they have been victimized either by whites in power positions or have been told by others (for example, Black Lives Matter or the Democrat Party) that they should consider themselves victimized by whites in power positions.
These personality flaws in the characters do not obscure the quality of the writing; in fact, they justify it, for Jackson is writing what exists in any poor environment.
More importantly, the life-affirming statements outweigh any negative ones.
For example, Mary is brutally honest, as when she identifies herself as “I was the nine-year-old who killed a baby. / Allegedly” (10). Her conviction colors everything, including the possibility of aborting the child suggested by an ostensibly “super Catholic” social worker. When she thinks about abortion, Mary concludes, “But an abortion would make me a baby killer. Again” (63). True to life, like most teens caught in a social service network, Mary fears that she only has two choices regarding the fate of the unborn child, affectionately called Bean: “Ms. Carmen made it clear I have two options: kill Bean or give Bean away” (152). A third choice which would break the either/or logical fallacy (keeping the child) is a choice both Mary and Ted want to achieve.
Likewise, despite his prostitution activities, credit must be given to Ted who recognizes that being a father demands a man’s responsibilities to protect and defend his lover and unborn child. “Don’t worry”, Ted says when he tries to instill confidence in Mary. “You’ll make a great mom. You won’t let anything happen to our baby” (67). Faced with a challenge from social service staff that custody of their child should be removed from them, Ted affirms again, “You know I love you, right? [….] You know I won’t let anything happen to you [….] Or our baby. You know I got you” (97).
Finally, most young authors approved by the DEI and woke New York publishing houses do not hesitate to aggressively agitate (if he or she is pro-abortion) for the killing of the unborn or (if he or she is for euthanasia) for the killing of the elderly. How refreshing it is, then, to read a work concerning infanticide which ends with the following author affirmation in the Acknowledgments: “First, I want to give thanks to God for this adventure called life” (unpaginated 389).