Disappointing Debut

Woman on the Edge - Samantha M. Bailey

Firstly, I have to say that I have a deep respect for anyone who puts pen to paper, embarking on the thankless task of writing a novel.  I admire those who have the stamina and bravery to put something original out there - exposed and vulnerable to critics who cannot possibly understand how difficult it is to be truly original and expressive when so many wonderful things have already been written.  I love reading, and appreciate that my own passion could not be fulfilled if others did not take this leap of faith to produce works for my consumption.  Unfortunately, occasionally there are times however when I wish a writer had been told by a professional or friend that their output is a mess before releasing it out into the world. 

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey is a debut novel that badly needed such a voice of reason.  Although the premise is captivating and the novel starts out on a promising note, it quickly devolves into a tangle of unsympathetic characters engaged in improbable scenarios in which they make stupendously imbecilic decisions.  Morgan Kincaid, a social worker on her way to work one day encounters a desperate woman with a baby in her arms.  This stranger somehow knows her name and tosses the baby in her arms to her right before falling backwards onto the train tracks.  It turns out that the mother is Nicole Markham, founder and CEO of a famous athleisure company who has been brought to this insane state due to a combination of past trauma, paranoia due to PPD and an insidious plot against her. Despite being in a crowded place, no one witnesses to the event can corroborate Morgan’s version of the tragedy. Morgan has her own storied past which involves a husband who committed suicide after being investigated for embezzlement.  For some reason, the same irrationally vindictive detective that believed that Morgan was involved in those financial crimes also is on this case as well, and now suspects her of pushing Nicole to her death. The novel consists of alternating chapters describing Nicole’s unnecessary dissolution and Morgan’s harebrained attempts to clear her name by playing amateur detective while ignoring her lawyer’s advice. These are both women apparently bereft of friends, intuition, social skills-or even a shred of common sense. Any potential empathy or credibility is lost as the reader becomes increasing confused by how the plot unfolds; frustrated by the implausibility of the motives of the ancillary characters; and infuriated by the way Morgan and Nicole are repeated victims of their own bad choices. It is difficult to see all the women portrayed in the novel possessed with so few redeeming qualities, and the baby is the only female character left worth rooting for.  What is truly unfortunate is that Woman on the Edge, with a bit more care and editing, might have been an interesting look into the insecurity of motherhood and the devastating effects of postpartum psychosis.  Then, it might have had the potential to be mystery worth sinking into instead of one that must simply be endured.

Thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.