Book Review: Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston

Bed Rest is Sarah Bilston's first novel. I think that's probably what drew me to the book: I like reading first novels. Perhaps it's because I want to be able to talk about having read the great author back when they were first starting out, and impress people with my literary prescience. Perhaps it's because I figure if I read enough first novels, I'll figure out how to write my own. And perhaps it's just because first novels are such unknown quantities - you don't know how the author writes, what kinds of characters there will be, the settings, etc. First novels are truely the "undiscovered country" of literature.

In Bed Rest, Bilston tells the story of Quinn Boothroyd (just "Q" to almost everyone), a driven, successful woman. Q is a lawyer married to a lawyer, living in New York City. That right there points to success and affluence. And Q is expecting her first child - a boy.

When the ultrasound test indicates a low level of amniotic fluid, her doctor puts her on complete bedrest for the remainder of the pregnancy. And that, as they say, is where the fun begins. The book is Q's diary, her worries, fears, and reflections as she sits in her apartment all day, every day, while the world she used to participate in goes on without her. Needless to say, the experience has a profound impact on her, and her husband.

I love character-driven fiction, and this book is nothing but character-driven. We watch Q as her entire personality changes, and she experiences things and interacts with people that she never would have as "Q the lawyer." Her relationships change. Her sense of purpose changes. And it's not just her - I can't think of a static character in the book, unless it's her coworker Fay, and even she changes a little bit. There's not a lot of action in the book; how could there be, when the protagonist/narrator is bedridden? But when complications arise in the pregnancy, and Q is rushed to the hospital, we tense. Bilton manages to pull us into the story, when Q complains about nobody going to see her, or calling her on the phone, we want to find her number and call her ourselves.

Article Author: Warren Kelly

Warren Kelly is a graduate student studying church history at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. His personal blog, View From the Pew, is a repository for his cultural criticism and theological/historical writings, and his weekly podcast features …

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