First published 2017
Baby hitchhikes from New York to San Francisco in the early 1960s to find a man she met years before. She refuses to let men control her life or even speak her name. The man wants conventional domesticity, but Baby needs time to figure out her own path. Her obvious disdain for his simple nature backfires, and only a generous young couple prevents her complete collapse. In Mexico, Baby attends a bull testing at a ranch where she feels secure amusing her host while demanding nothing from him. She looks down on the other women there until she tries to cape a calf herself. The powerful rancher humiliates her with calculated cruelty, showing her exactly how little she matters in his world. On Mykonos, Baby befriends two soldiers on leave, helping them find lodging, food, and beaches while asking only for companionship. The soldiers are devout Oklahoma Baptists who cannot understand her free spirited ways. They decide to rescue her from her wandering existence, which drives Baby to swim defiantly into the open sea.
Genres: fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Mexico, Mykonos, New York, San Francisco
Period: 1960s
134 pages · Hardcover · Wellstone Press
Content warnings: abuse