Sing You Home
Sing You Home is a 2011 book by Jodi Picoult. Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and after multiple miscarriages and infertility issues, it looks like her dream is about to come true: She is seven months pregnant. But a terrible turn of events leads to a nightmare--one that takes away the baby for whom she has already fallen; and breaks apart her marriage to Max. In the aftermath, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist.
When Vanessa, a guidance counselor, asks Zoe to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used by her and Max. Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle–-until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor, Clive Lincoln, has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child. This leads to a court case to decide who gets the embryos.
- Activist Fundamentalist Antics: The whole trial arguably starts because of this. Pastor Clive claims that no child should have to live with lesbian parents, so he encourages Max to sue Zoe and Vanessa.
- All Gays Are Pedophiles: Zoe is accused of molesting one of her clients, Lucy, who just so happens to be Pastor Clive's stepdaughter. Vanessa states that this trope is why she keeps her door open when counseling students, so that nobody will have any reason to suspect her.
- All Lesbians Want Kids: Played with. Both Vanessa and Zoe want kids, but Zoe desperately wanted kids long before Vanessa came along.
- Babies Make Everything Better: Implied in the epilogue, told from the viewpoint of their child, Samantha.
- Has Two Mommies: Zoe and Vanessa are hoping for this. Max gives them the embryos, so their child, Samantha, indeed has two mommies.
- Love Triangle: Max is in love with his sister-in-law Liddy.
- No Bisexuals/If It's You It's Okay: Zoe calls herself a lesbian despite the fact that she admits being attracted to and in love with men. Her partner, Vanessa, is a school counselor and frequently counsels LGBT teens, but never mentions any bisexuals.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The novel discusses gay rights, in-vitro fertilization, abortion, evangelicals, alcoholism, atheism...
- Virtual Soundtrack: There is a 10-song CD with songs by Jodi Picoult's friend Ellen Wilber, along with recommendations on when to play the songs.