The Bump

Karger’s sweet sophomore novel (after Best Men) follows a gay couple preparing for parenthood. After actor–turned–food writer Biz and commercial director Wyatt choose an egg donor and a surrogate, they embark on a cross-country “babymoon,” designed to be their last hurrah before parenthood. But the drive from New York to California, where their surrogate lives, takes several unexpected detours and begins to expose cracks in their 12-year relationship. At the beginning of the trip, Biz loses his long-running magazine column but doesn’t know how to tell Wyatt. After his brother is in an accident, Wyatt detours with Biz to his mother’s home—where he unearths an unopened stack of letters addressed to him from his absent father. Pressure builds rapidly on both sides of Wyatt and Biz’s relationship—until it might just blow them apart. Karger makes it easy to empathize with his heroes, bringing impressive emotional depth to their relationship. The twisty road trip plus cameos from Biz’s large, boisterous family add plenty of fun. Readers will root for Biz and Wyatt to make it work. (May)