The Cradle

I read most of "The Cradle" while on a flight. It was the perfect don’t-interrupt-me reading environment for a novel that appeared to be straightforward, but actually includes a carefully crafted back-and-forth, past-and-present subplot. Matt, eager to please his wife, Marissa, in her last trimester of pregnancy, agrees to find an heirloom cradle, snatched from the family home by Marissa’s mother when she abandoned her husband and daughter years earlier. A foster child himself, Matt is quietly cooperative in spite of the Midwest heat, cranky pickup, and missed work days; he is eager to start his own family in a spirit of peace and completeness. While he encounters quirky, scary, and puzzling characters (in every sense of the word—real “characters”) he gains resolve not only to possess the cradle, but to take on deeper issues. While the secondary plot, set a decade later, seems random at first, Somerville ties the two together in several “aha!” scenes, and draws the reader into the lives of both groups of characters with equal care and warmth. The main character, Matt, is truly likable. I especially enjoyed the Midwest setting and images of the backyards, truck stops, and ordinary surroundings. This could have been a maudlin tale, but the author includes enough grit and everyday detail to preserve the credibility of his story of family, loyalty, and basic human kindness. I only wish the cover designer had read the description of the cradle before choosing the photo; Somerville’s novel deserved more careful packaging. (editor's note: The reviewer is referring to the paperback edition.)