Swimming Upstream Slowly
Melissa Clark's Novel Explores Lazy Sperm, Delayed Pregnancy
Life is good for Sasha Salter. Her masters thesis has developed into an award-winning children’s program, “Please Pass the Salter,” and she has wonderful friends to celebrate with. But one day, at a routine doctor appointment, she finds out that she’s pregnant. Shocked, Sasha is forced to reluctantly admit that she hasn’t slept with anyone in over two years. How could this have happened?
Turns out, Sasha was impregnated by a “lazy sperm.” First time author Melissa Clark explains the (fictional) condition on her website: “Lazicum Spermatozoa, or ‘lazy sperm,’ is a rare condition in which an hospitable environment provides enough nutrients and shelter to ‘side track’ a sperm with inherent low motility, resulting in a potential delayed pregnancy for the carrier.”
So what’s a girl to do? Before Sasha can even come to terms with her new condition, she is referred to Dr. Rusmeuth, a rather unorthodox researcher who explains her condition to her and suggests she make a list of previous lovers. Sasha complies, and her next task is to contact them all – including here best friend’s brother – to ask them to get blood tests to determine paternity. The story twists and turns as she contacts her former lovers and examines the relationships (or lack thereof) she shared with each of them. The book rewinds as far as to Sasha’s college days, when she had a quick and meaningless affair with a professor.
Meanwhile, her best friends, nine months pregnant Erika and snarky Jordan, lighten the plot with their own antics. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough details about these two characters and they’re left for the reader to imagine.
While the plot is interesting and attention holding, the premise of the book is sometimes hard to believe. The relationships she shares with Erika and Jordan are underdeveloped, and when she suddenly has a romantic encounter with Jordan, it seems contrived. But for a quick, 240-page read, Swimming Upstream Slowly is a good choice. Clark’s writing is engaging and at some points funny, and the plot is unique, if dubious.
About the Author
Melissa Clark is the creator of the award-winning animated television series Braceface. She received a master's degree from the writing program at UC Davis, and has written for shows on Fox, The Disney Channel, and The Cartoon Network.
Clark will be appearing September 28-30, 2007, at The Carmel Authors & Ideas Festival, Sunset Theater. For information, visit www.carmelauthors.com.
Clark, Melissa
Swimming Upstream Slowly
New York, Broadway, September 12, 2006
