Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz
It’s 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth “Baker” She’s the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes.
Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash—in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family’s shining star to their embarrassing secret. Sent to a home for unwed mothers, Baker finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with a group of pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she reckons with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the “girls who went away.”
Where the Girls Were is a timely unearthing of a little-known moment in American history, when the sexual revolution and feminist movement collided with the limits of reproductive rights—and society's expectations of women. As Baker finds her strength and her voice, she shows us how to step into your power, even when the world is determined to keep you silent.
Review: Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!
"'You're pregnant, aren't you?' The word is a bird, released from a cage. A ball shot from a cannon. A punch to the face, to the gut. Where, Baker realizes with a nauseating shock, something might be growing."
It is 1968 in San Francisco, and 17-year-old Elizabeth "Baker" is on track to be high school valedictorian, with plans on attending Stanford and becoming a journalist. An only child, she has always done everything right. That is until her cousin May introduces her toa hippie named Wiley and Baker is swept up in her first experience with love and freedom to make her own choices. But when Baker ends up pregnant, her mother arranges for her to be secreted away to a home for unwed teens in an old Victorian home. There she must confront her changing body and lack of free will when it comes to her future.
This was really beautifully written, and I felt wholly swept up in the horror Baker feels as she realizes she is pregnant, when she faces her parents' disappointment, and when she realizes it will cost her her freedom. I was originally drawn to this book because one of my father's cousins (who has since passed away) was sent away from her home in Virginia to give birth in secret and then had to return to Virginia and pretend nothing had happened. I had heard this story and been sort of shocked and tantalized by it, but reading Baker's story gave me such much more empathy and understanding of the series of emotions she probably went through during her own experience. Likewise, I appreciated the author's note that this story was inspired by her mother's revelation that she had given up two different children for adoption as a teenager.
I found the chapters where Baker is confined to the home for unwed mothers deeply compelling in a horrifying sort of way. It is presented as a privilege that they are allowed such a convenient solution to their problems. But they are hidden away, forced to sign over rights to their child, and have very limited freedoms. Baker is not allowed outside and has no access to the news. She is tormented by hints of a girl that stayed in the same room as her previously that was obviously deeply distressed to be confined to the home. Given the time period, the girls have some choice, but not enough. And their pregnancy is certainly still seen as a stain on their reputation and a sign of their fallen status.
I was very intrigued by the character of Baker's mother, who is consumed with everything appearing just so, but who has a very complicated background herself. For her, Baker's pregnancy is something that must be tidily cleaned up and concealed, yet she clearly feels she is acting out of the love and in the best interest of her daughter. But yet she doesn't ever ask her daughter what she wants or how she would like to handle the pregnancy. I did appreciate that their relationship does evolve somewhat over the course of the book, and certainly in the end her mother proves herself willing to choose Baker over societal appearances when forced.
This was a solid four stars for me all the way through until the last ten percent. Without giving away any spoilers, I will just say that I understand the author wanted to give Baker some agency that she didn't have, but the way she did it did not feel realistic at all. I also could not stand the ambiguous ending of the book. Of course I have my own opinion of what Baker does next, but I was so frustrated that it is left open to interpretation. Also, if the whole point of the ending is to give Baker agency, why does it end without forcing her to decide her next steps? It felt like a giant cop out on the part of the author and really spoiled my feelings on the whole book so I'm knocking this down from 4 to 3.5 stars for the ending.
Stars: 3.5
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