The Inconceivable Life of Quinn

Gr 9 Up—Quinn Cutler, 16, is the daughter of an up-and-coming Brooklyn politician. She never thought she would be pregnant. How can she be pregnant when she has never had sex? That is the question Quinn and her family attempt to answer. Things get complicated when a gossipy newspaper article outs Quinn's pregnancy and claims she is a virgin. Suddenly, the family's front stoop is crowded with spectators believing that Quinn is carrying the next messiah. Even she begins to question the true origin of her pregnancy. Was she drugged, or is this the result of something more mysterious? Family secrets reveal a truth buried far in Quinn's past. Her journey is hampered by a sluggish pace and stereotypical characters: the detached older brother, the strict father. Baer explores Quinn's pregnancy mostly through the lens of her family's status in the public eye. However, the teen's more personal emotional and physical experiences are not given due diligence. Treatment of the pregnancy conflict might reinforce negative stereotypes surrounding teen pregnancy. A brief look into Quinn's future soon after she gives up her baby for adoption fails to capture the emotional complexity she surely must have experienced.