Happy Baby [Paperback]

Stephen Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Happy Baby is the story of Theo, once an orphan in the Chicago foster care system and now a grown man living in California. Theo, saturated with memories of abuse and heartache, and filled with the simple wish to understand more about himself, returns to Chicago to reconnect with an old girlfriend from his troubled youth. Told in reverse order, this edgy and powerful novel slowly and subtly turns mysterious, as we attempt to recognize the root of Theo's plight and the source for his quietly wavering humanity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A craving for pain is the only constant in the life of Theo, a victim of the child welfare system, in this grim, unrelenting fourth novel by Elliott (What It Means to Love You, etc.). Told in reverse chronological order, it begins when 36-year-old Theo returns to his native city of Chicago after six years away, visiting an ex-girlfriend called Maria. He knows Maria from their years growing up together in a state institution, where Theo landed after his abusive father was killed and his mother died from multiple sclerosis. After Maria leaves Theo for someone who will hit her harder (" 'I want you to hit me and you want me to hit you. This is terrible' "), Theo drifts into relationships with women who are willing to abuse him. His desire to be hurt stems from the brutal treatment he received as a child in state custody; he is particularly scarred by the memory of Mr. Gracie, a caseworker who raped him but also protected him from the other boys. Like cult favorite J.T. LeRoy, Elliott is fascinated by the psychology of abuse and explores it with great tenacity and restraint. He doesn't quite achieve LeRoy's emotional intensity or immediacy, but he clearly knows his subject—the pointed last line of his author bio reads, "[H]e was born in Chicago, and was a ward of the State of Illinois from age thirteen to eighteen"—and infuses this prickly tale with a surprising sweetness.--e was born in Chicago, and was a ward of the State of Illinois from age thirteen to eighteen"—and infuses this prickly tale with a surprising sweetness.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Don't let the title throw you: Elliott's Happy Baby is anything but. The Stanford University lecturer and former Wallace Stegner Fellow peels back the layers of his painful past in this searing examination of the consequences of sexual abuse. A ward of the state of Illinois from the age of 13 to 18, Elliott recounts his own experiences through the eyes of 36-year-old Theo, a man emotionally eviscerated by years of mental and physical torture. Beginning in the present and unraveling back to years of sexual molestation in Chicago's juvenile-detention centers, the street-smart narrator fearlessly dissects a series of dysfunctional relationships in which abuse is equated with affection. From the male caseworker who raped Theo at age 12 to the girlfriend who burned his limbs with cigarettes, Elliott's fourth novel recalls a life defined by longing for both love and pain. Blending the edginess of Augusten Burroughs with the raw emotion of Marguerite Duras,^B this compelling confessional reveals a ravaged soul seeking solace and resolution in the wake of unspeakable crimes. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Picador (December 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312424493
• ISBN-13: 978-0312424497
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly told tale of tragedy, March 31, 2004

By 

Phil Kailer "Phil Kailer" (Elizabethton, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Baby (Hardcover)

Stephen Elliott really hits the mark with Happy Baby. It is a horribly honest and self-effacing look at the torment one man (and the folks in his life) have gone through having been abandoned in the Chicago juvenile care system. All throughout the story, Elliott speaks honestly and beautifully, exposing his most vulnerable side in an eloquent way:

"He would come and get me about once a week; I never knew exactly when. I'd wait in my room for him. I remember Mr. Gracie's hands closing around my neck, how I couldn't breathe, and then how I didn't want to breathe. I remember how his body felt warm on my back and how, when he pulled away from me, I felt exposed, as if somebody had yanked a blanket off me."

The story is heavy and will linger with you. Fans of Augusten Burroughs will see some similarities here, but don't expect any laughter (or very little.) The novel is both story-driven and literary. Worth the price.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars made a believer out of this skeptic, January 28, 2005

By 

Steve S. (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Baby (Hardcover)

I picked this up because it made several "best of 2004" lists, and after the first couple chapters/stories, I thought, Hmph, nothing much here but your typical skimpy ("understated"), edgy tales of drugged-out, sex-fringe losers. Another writer just following a certain fashion, I thought. But I kept reading, and I'm so glad I did. The book is brilliant.

The material accrues power as you go, even though the prose is so lean and spare. Because of the reverse chronology (in each story the main character is a little younger), you'd think the plot would be spoiled, but the heartbreak you feel for this character just deepens and deepens as you get to see what made him into the man you first encounter. It's not a gimmick--it's told in just the right order. As a plus, the author's evocation of Chicago is perfectly detailed.

The story captures the abuse and neglect which are a hidden but too common aspect of our society. It really challenged my perspective and even made me burn to see some changes in the way we deal with problem kids. Excellent work.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll be thinking about this book for weeks., March 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Baby (Hardcover)

Happy Baby is vigorous and exquisite. The language is sure-footed, lyrical, and demanding. Our narrator Theo, seemingly steadfast through uncertainty, consistently allows us to look under his bed, in his closets, and deep into his heart. Elliott's true feat was creating a novel where important and delicate subject matters are accessible to all types of readers. Happy Baby is simply a really good book.