Inconceivable [Hardcover]

Ben Elton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Sam and Lucy seem like the perfect couple. Successful, happy and in love. However, they might be infertile. Lucy wants a baby. Sam wants to write a movie. What they are about to go through is inconceivable, the question is, can their love survive?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite their repeated efforts, Sam and Lucy Bell, the loving yet infertile protagonists of British comedian Elton's (Popcorn) romantic comedy, cannot conceive a baby. When Lucy decides that their childlessness is at least partly due to the stress brought on by their efforts to conceive, she insists that they each keep diaries, to privately sort out their thoughts and emotions. The two diaries tell the story, with often hilariously divergent perspectives on the couple's reproductive struggle. Yet sperm tests, full-moon "bonks" on Primrose Hill, annoying New Age home remedies and Lucy's long-distance "adoption" of an endangered baby gorilla are not their only concerns. Sam, a frustrated would-be writer, is in the middle of a creative block, and he is also on the verge of losing his less-than-enthralling job as an executive at the BBC. Lucy, meanwhile, is being pursued romantically by a dashing but arrogant clientDshe's a film agentDand against her wishes, Sam is secretly using their troubles and diaries as inspiration for the screenplay he is finally writing. Despite his betrayal, Sam remains sweetly endearing. Elton captures the spirit of the modern bloke and the confusion that arises from a desire to be sensitive to one's partner's emotional needs while fulfilling traditional expectations of manhood. Laced with hip, witty asides, this he-said she-said comedy handily overcomes a somewhat sluggish start and manages to be both touching and laugh-out-loud funny. The book may receive some attention via the film Maybe Baby, based on this novel, directed by Elton and released in Australia this past August. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Trying to become pregnant can turn sex into an act of forced labor and drudgery. Fortunately, talents like the U.K.'s Elton can turn it all on its head to create a laughing-out-loud novel in which Lucy, using thermometers, New Age remedies, and specimen jars, "keeps trying," and husband Sam, who's a BBC executive, "keeps going along with it all." As this marital tragicomedy unfolds, readers are made privy to the couple's alternating diary entries, thus seeing them as they see each other and themselves, all too often a most incongruent mix. Though married for more than a decade, these two, like so many couples, seem to know precious little about each other and even less about themselves. Lucy's demands almost drive Sam insane, and the stress of "trying" eventually strains their marriage until they hilariously and hurtfully betray each other. Elton strives for a balance between tearful poignancy and belly laughs, and, happily, often succeeds in this clever, entertaining, and timely novel. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 329 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593044797
• ISBN-13: 978-0593044797
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,399,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben stretching the limits, June 16, 2002

By 

Michael J Harrington (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)

Ben took a chance on this one, writing from 'his' and 'hers' side, as he has always been keen on presenting an equal view of the hell that males and females must go through in life itself.

This is a daring book, written by a man to capture both 'sides' of the subject of the difficulty of having a kid when it doesn't happen 'naturally'. Ben pulls it off like a champ - he is one funny guy, yet very sensitive and intelligent on his approach to any subject he writes about. You end up getting a great laugh out of today's trials and tribulations of life. As other reviewers had said, it is worthwhile getting to know some of the British 'slang' to get more out of the book, however this book does not require a full translation, so American readers should not have too much trouble as the context will tip most off.

This is not his best work (check out Gridlock or Stark), however it has the signature Elton humor throughout, and not the kind that takes someone from Great Britian to understand. (He has left the enjoyment 'at home')

The bottom line is that any one in need of reading a book with a bit of humor that raises an issue or 2, this is your cuppa!

happy reading,
mike

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read, March 6, 2001

By 

chicago mom (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read by Ben Elton, and I don't think it will be the last. It was a truly wonderful book particularly focusing on both sides of the infertility issue. I found it to be a very accurate portrayal, and it touched a nerve, as I am currently trying to start my own family. So I can definitely relate. Even so, I know that I would have enjoyed the book even if I didn't know any better.

Although the issue of infertility can be stressful for couples, he puts it into a funny, and yet very realistic spin. And I far more enjoyed reading Sam's narrative of events as opposed to Lucy's. I realize that it's a burdensome situation for both of them, yet I think that Lucy's character could have been written with maybe a little more sympathy. I found it hard to like her (my only complaint).

At first, I had to become accustomed to the writing style of the book. It's written as two diaries put together, almost like a 'he said', she said scenario. Truthfully, I wasn't pleased when I learned of that, but as time went on, I slowly lost focus of that and instead found myself eager to see the very polar opposite reactions to the same situations exemplified from both Sam and Lucy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He said - She said - and I laughed out loud, December 17, 2000

By 

David M. Scott "David Meerman Scott" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)

Great book. I liked Popcorn, but I loved Inconceivable. The book works as we gain insight into the minds of a married copuple through their hysterical thoughts on a subject as potentially powerful as having a baby together. What a comedy setup. And Elton's writing is terrific. Funny almost always, but here and there some sad and serious parts (but not too many!).