"In one devastating plot turn after another, Franks injects bracing honesty into her depictions of the characters, always in gorgeous prose. Describing Edie and Simon’s erstwhile love, she writes, ‘their love loosened and broke, like decomposing fruit. It was a shock, to see it prove so seasonal.’ This will stay with readers." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"This absorbing novel about teenage pregnancy in 1950s North Carolina and its legacy in the subsequent decades may feel eerily uncomfortable in our contemporary moment. Yet, in addition to its unfortunate relevancy, this tenderly rendered novel, framed through multiple narratives, is a complex examination of friendship, motherhood, and lost opportunities." —Lauren LeBlanc, The Boston Globe
"Another gorgeously crafted tale, a powerful work of historical fiction, a gorgeous and tremulous story...Her tender narrative has already shouted from the rooftops... And her message is delivered with profound delicacy and heart-wrenching grace." —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Julia Franks’ The Say So recalls a time when unwed mothers were hidden." —Liz Garrigan, Chapter 16
"In these vivid, haunting passages, Franks luminously captures decades-old conversations and dilemmas about bodily autonomy. Franks’s mesmerizing prose traces the devastation of coerced relinquishment and unpacks the repercussions of living in a society that dictates agency and choice.” —Anjali Enjeti, author of The Parted Earth
"It's rare that a novel speaks so eloquently to the contemporary moment as The Say So does. The years may pass but our stories stay the same. Julia Franks has written a beautiful story of mothers and daughters, old friendships, broken hearts, and tough choices. This is a powerful novel, and an important one too." —Wiley Cash, author of When Ghosts Come Home
"The Say So is unforgettable, heartfelt, and stunningly timely. You’ll fall in love with Luce, Edie, and Meera, their struggles, and ultimately, their bravery." —Jessica Handler, author of The Magnetic Girl
"Every so often, a work of fiction appears that is so timely that its creation seems an act of prescience. Julia Franks’s The Say So speaks powerfully to the current debate about the rights of women to decide their own fates and control their own bodies. It is a finely crafted story about fascinating characters dealing with the most fundamental things: friendship, sexuality, family, and motherhood. Read it now and you will continue to think about it as the years pass." —Terry Roberts, author of The Sky Club
"What a marvelous novel Julia Franks has written! The Say So is a big and generous story that brings a perennial dilemma into sharp focus from one generation to the next. A perfect and perfectly provocative book club choice!" —Katharine Weber, author of Jane of Hearts and Other Stories
"Franks channels insight from her experience as a pregnant college student in the 1980s into vibrant, sensitive characters who break the stereotype about selfish birth mothers who relinquish their babies and never look back. She takes us into her characters' heartbreak and raw emotions as they make the best decisions for themselves even as other people try to control them. A timely and relevant story about every woman's control over her body and her life." —Kirkus Reviews
"Franks’ prose flows across the page, and her storytelling is immersive. She possesses such an intimate understanding of her characters. I started the book and found that I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what the future had in store for these characters. They just seemed so alive." —Kendra Winchester, Book Riot’s "Read This Book" Newsletter
2023-05-24
Societal pressures are the backdrop to this story about pregnant women and the decisions they make.
Based in part on Franks' own experience, this compassionate novel follows the lives of two pregnant young women as they make tough decisions, with little support from families and friends, that will change their lives and the lives of their children forever. When high school senior Edie Carrigan discovers she's pregnant in the 1950s, she ends up doing what most girls in her situation are forced to do: She hides away in a group home until her baby is born and then placed for adoption. Her desires don't matter. Throughout her pregnancy she's shamed, ridiculed, and blamed for being single and pregnant. Her boyfriend experiences none of this, and her best friend, Luce Waddell, turns against her. Twenty-five years later, Luce's daughter Meera, a college student, has more options than Edie did when she finds out she's pregnant, but despite the burgeoning women's movement and expanding reproductive rights, she's still judged for the choices she makes. Franks channels insight from her experience as a pregnant college student in the 1980s into vibrant, sensitive characters who break the stereotype about selfish birth mothers who relinquish their babies and never look back. She takes us into her characters' heartbreak and raw emotions as they make the best decisions for themselves even as other people try to control them. When Edie's boyfriend wants to make decisions for her, "it occurred to her that he wanted the same thing she did: the say-so. Over her body and over her child." With heart and spirit, this novel reminds us that no matter the time period, women are pressured to conform to other people's wishes and beliefs.
A timely and relevant story about every woman's control over her body and her life.
