Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy

Release date: 2007 / 294 pages

First line: “If dogs, rats, and pigs can all sense a looming earthquake and make plans, how come all I can manage is a quick stare at the phone just before it rings?”

Synopsis (from jacket cover): “Eight years ago, James Keeper fell in love with his upstairs neighbor in Boston, a sassy pastry chef with gray eyes and a fierce attitude. They got married, found a dog, and shopped for cilantro. But conflicting schedules and a real estate deal gone bad took its toll on the twenty-somethings in love… A new job, a new love, and a new life now in place Keeper is in a comfortable situation… But one phone call from his former mother-in-law changes everything. And so, days later, Keeper comes away with a son he never he had and life all of a sudden takes on a new meaning.”

Review: Coincidentally, the quote on the front cover of this novel was by the author of The Knitting Circle, the book I reviewed last Sunday, Ann Hood: “Keeper and Kid is a marvel. I dare you. Open this book and try to put it down.” Boy, I wish I had enjoyed this more. The cover is wonderful and the premise interesting, but the characters were just not sympathetic. I expected something along the lines of About A Boy, but was sorely disappointed.

Keeper is self-absorbed and annoying — I kept waiting for his self-pity to dry up and the realization that his son should now be a focus (if not the focus) of his life, but this never seemed to kick in. I kept reminding myself that he was sort of grieving his ex-wife, but they had been divorced long enough — without contact — that this didn’t quite ring true.

His girlfriend, Leah, was just as unsympathetic as James. So, wading through almost 300 pages to find out if two unlikeable characters are going to get back together was stultifying — especially since they broke-up due to Leah’s desire not to have children. Since little Leo is not going anywhere, we really should root for the couple to stay apart, right?

In addition to the wholly unlikeable main character, his pervasive use of the f-word in front of his 3 year old son (who somehow never started parroting him) was just plain annoying, as well as immature and somewhat out of character since James never seemed to swear when alone.

On a positive note, there were a few observations that were original and interesting — like “The thought felt like a corner” — nice…  And “It was one of those fights about the hypothetical where you learn actual things you didn’t want to know.” (Sounds like the premise of Say Yes, this month’s Tiny Tale).

Also, the supporting characters were interesting — especially Keeper’s parents, his best friend Tim, and certainly his son Leo. I had high hopes around chapter 16 that the novel was going to get much better when he asked his parents for help. Alas, my hopes were dashed…

So, I recommend you pass on this and reread About A Boy instead (or rent the movie). 

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