Your Baby's Just Fine

After reading Sarah Rettger's review of SECRET KEEPER (Random House, January 2009), I reacted like an anxious mommy-in-waiting when the OB says, "Hey, you're baby's doing great!"

A sigh of relief, settling back in the chair, a quick, loving pat of the metaphorical tummy.

Although pregnancy's not quite like the pre-publication jitters, is it?

After all, nobody's going to tell a mommy exactly how ugly her baby is in a crisp, well-written paragraph or two, but gatekeepers of literature feel that freedom, and rightfully so.