Choice

by A.J. Walkley

Haley Fry and her twin sister, Jamie, have been compared to one another since birth. Haley is the quieter twin, a lover of music who prefers solitude to spending time with multiple friends. A prodigy on the saxophone, she dreams of a career as a musician. Jamie, on the other hand, is the athlete of the family who prides herself on her popularity and how many boys are after her. The twins' parents, Larry and Maggie, place more trust in Haley because of her calmer nature. They expect the unexpected from Jamie, but not Haley. When Larry and Maggie learn that sixteen-year-old Haley is pregnant, they are shocked. Surprising everyone, but mostly herself, Haley faces a life-changing Does she abort the baby or become a teenage mother? Choice presents Haley's dilemma in a unique way. The first half of this novel narrates what happens when Haley chooses an abortion, while the second half reveals Haley's life when she chooses to keep the baby. Told through the eyes of the entire family, Choice illustrates the tough decisions involved in a teen pregnancy.

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Born and raised in Connecticut, 31-year-old A.J. Walkley has been writing for nearly 20 years of her life. A novelist and activist, Walkley spent time as a health volunteer in Malawi, Africa, with the U.S. Peace Corps after earning her BA in Literature in 2007.

Walkley has three novels to her name: Vuto (2013), Queer Greer (2012) and Choice (2009).

Reviews

[Đào Minh]

http://bit.ly/2PzL9vT

[Sheila Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHOICE is not what I'd call a typical teen book. Each character tells his or her side of their shared story, so the parents get to have center stage for portions of the novel. Larry and Maggie are open-minded, intelligent New Yorkers who feel fairly competent at raising their twin daughters. The girls are not as close as most twins are presumed to be, but when the quieter one, Haley, gets pregnant, she turns to her sister, Jamie, for help. Here is where the novel becomes quite different.

First, the author follows one of the options for Haley. With her sister's love and support, and without telling their parents, she has an abortion. The sex scene and the abortion are described respectively by Haley and Jamie. I thought these scenes were well done and realistic. Jamie is a strong advocate for her sister, and as a reader, I felt empathy for each member of this close-knit family.

Then the author takes readers along with another choice -- keeping the baby. Again the characters give their perspectives on what happens. Although in the real world, abortion is often the choice, I felt in this book, Haley's keeping her baby seemed a bit stronger and more realistic than the alternate abortion ending/choice.

This book would make an excellent read for teens who are sexually active or who will be soon. There are very few novels for teens in which a main character has an abortion during the time frame of the story. This one is made less pro-choice because of the alternate ending but that also makes it more likely to be accepted in today's anti-abortion climate. If any high school teachers are brave enough to recommend this novel, it would make a wonderful book for classroom discussion.

For a list of other books for teens that include an abortion, see:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a quick read that moves pretty quickly. I like that it accurately portrays what could happen to the main character if she were a real person right now. I enjoyed the way the chapters were setup with each chapter being from a different characters point of view. I enjoyed the book and recommend it for a quick read.