Henry House (as in "house baby") is one such baby. Arriving at the practice house at just shy of four months old, he is handed off weekly to one of six different "mothers". The practice house is run by Martha Gaines, 48, a stern but lonely woman, still suffering from the loss of her own baby many years before.
Although Martha has helped raise many babies before, Henry awakens inside of her an intense longing. Despite her tough rules encouraging the mothers to teach babies not to expect being picked up every time they cry, she finds herself yearning to hold him all the time.
When Henry's time in the practice house is up, Martha decides she wants to keep Henry as her own son. And she does, raising him in the upstairs of the practice house while practice babies and mothers rotate downstairs.
As Henry grows up, he learns of the truth of his upbringing and grows to intensely despise Martha. As punishment to her, he stops talking when he's 9. For years. By ninth grade, he is sent away to a boarding school for mentally defective teens.
The book stays with him until he's in his twenties and, although he is the main character, my heart broke for poor Martha, the woman whose only desire in life was to love and be loved by Henry. And yet he hated her for the way she smothered him and the lies about his past she told.
It's a fascinating look at practice babies and the way their unusual first years shape them as adults. Another practice baby reappears later in the story, exhibiting the same restlessness, always ready to move on to the next person or place. The characters are vivid and intriguing. I enjoyed it immensely.
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