ENORMOUS WINGS-Septuagenarian Gets Pregnant and All Hell Breaks Loose

Laurie Frankel uses humor in her novel ENORMOUS WINGS to pontificate on a woman's right to choose which has been eradicated in our country. A septuagenarian, Pepper, is a senior with still a lot of spunk whose family decides it's time for her to stop driving and move into a senior living facility. What's funny or even preposterous is the premise that she finds love with her next door neighbor and becomes pregnant. It gets explained (but not credible) as a result of her special trial cancer treatment. Nevertheless, she wants to terminate the pregnancy for both her health and state of mind. There's a media circus surrounding Pepper and a myriad of protestors on both sides of the abortion issue. Making matters more complex is Pepper resides in TX which comes down hard on anyone wanting an abortion or abetting the patient. Pepper's family who all add their delightful two cents along with their support includes an ex-spouse living at the same senior center, two daughters, a son and four grandchildren. One 15 year old grandchild, Lola, is especially close with Pepper. Oops, coincidentally, Lola became pregnant at the same time as Pepper by her high school boyfriend. The light comedy at the onset after the first trimester in the pregnancy turns didactic.  Most all the fallouts of not having free choice whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy are presented heavy handedly. It can be argued that ENORMOUS WINGS is a palpable format for discussing the demise of Roe v Wade. I maintain that the novel just doesn't fly right. It's an enormous stretch as it becomes labored under a bloated, melodramatic soap opera plot. The bumps along the way include an elderly friend who passes away and a clandestine road trip to get Lola across state lines for an abortion. As well intentioned as Frankel may be in providing a sensationalized story of a septuagenarian conceiving, the delivery needed a lifeline to make it worth your time.  I much preferred Frankel's "This Is How It Always Is," Here Frankel delivers a sensitive and realistic depiction of a child transitioning within a family and its impact on all family members.