The Other Anna

In her promising debut, Esstman explores the social mores of early-20th-century Iowa in a sensitively depicted but occasionally maudlin tale. Twelve-year-old narrator Anna Berter defies her prim, socialite mother (``the Prussian'') by spending time with a wise housekeeper she dubs ``the Old One'' and the housekeeper's granddaughter Edwina. This contentment ends when Edwina becomes pregnant by the Berters' caddish houseguest. Anna's parents adopt the child but banish its mother from their house. Subsequently, Edwina's longing for her daughter drives her insane, the Old One curses the Berters' selfishness, and Anna blames her parents for the tragedy. Despite its strong, plausible theme of adoption gone awry, the novel has an arch and stilted tone which, while it conveys Anna's immaturity, burdens the story. After a strong beginning that condemns the stigmatization of unwed mothers, the work grows ponderously melodramatic, especially as Esstman offers needlessly convoluted revelations about Anna's own adoption. ( Apr. )