Caroline's Journal

Harrowing health problems and a dramatic murder trial collide in this convoluted novel that idealizes pregnancy and romantic love in equal measure. Caroline, forced to grow up too quickly and mother her younger sister after their alcoholic parents' divorce, has difficulty conceiving a child of her own now that she's in her 30s. When her last-ditch in-vitro fertilization attempt finally appears to succeed, Caroline chronicles her pregnancy in letters to her unborn daughter. In the meantime, Caroline's husband, Jeffrey, a Seattle area prosecutor, has his own preoccupation as he attempts to convict a famous ex-football player for the murder of his fiancée and their unborn son (the parallels to the Laci Peterson case are made explicit). Desperate to give her husband a child, Caroline puts her own life on the line when preeclampsia threatens both her and her unborn child. Blow-by-blows of Jeffrey's legal doings threaten to derail the plot, as do Caroline's treacly journal entries (on the blastula: "Each cell accepted its destiny, and went about its task. Joyfully). Haul out the tissues for this genuine tearjerker, which makes up in sentimentality what it lacks in drama. (Aug.)