Swimming Upstream Slowly

Melissa Clark
Broadway Books (2006)
ISBN 0767925262
Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (11/06)

Life is hectic for Sasha Salter. She is the host of a children's television show called "Please Pass the Salter." Her days are filled with meetings, costume fittings, blockings and everything associated with her show. She does not have time for a personal life. On top of everything else she has just learned that she is to be profiled in a women's magazine as one of L.A.'s "20 under 30 - Ones to Watch," which means that reporter Melanie will be following in Sasha's footsteps for a couple of weeks; what could possibly go wrong?

As luck would have it, Sasha is scheduled for her yearly exam with her ob-gyn; Dr. Banks informs Sasha that she is pregnant. A totally dumbfounded Sasha asks how that can be since she has not had sex in over two years. Dr. Banks refers her to Dr. Rusmeuth who has been doing research in this field. The next problem is giving Melanie the slip so she can see the doctor. He tells her that she needs to get blood or tissue samples from all her past sexual partners for testing. So, Sasha calls her two best friends Erika who is expecting her first child and Jordan. They come to give her moral support as she gets the nerve up to confront her old lovers.

She does get samples from several of them, finds out that one is getting married and that one has passed away. She also finds out that Jordan has been harboring feelings for her all these years that he has kept hidden. Now she has to deal with all these feelings on top of everything else plus decide if she wants to keep the baby. Dr. Rusmeuth and his wife ask that if she decides to give the baby up for adoption that they would like to be the parents. Sasha feels that they would look at the baby as a trophy and not love the baby as a person. She finally decides in the end to keep the baby herself.

Even though the premise of the book is a little far fetched, lazicum spermitazoa, it was really a very cute book. The characters are very well developed and believable. It kind of makes you wonder if maybe there could someday be a time that this might actually happen to someone.

"Swimming Upstream Slowly" is a delightful, lighthearted book -- a joy to read with a truly happy ending.

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