ODD MOM OUT – Jane Porter
5 Spot
ISBN-10: 0-446-69923-3
ISBN-13: 978-0446069923-5
September 2007
Contemporary Fiction

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Marta Zinsser recently moved to Seattle with her precocious nine-year-old daughter, Eva, who loves to read bridal magazines and dream about when her mother marries.   Marta has never married, choosing artificial insemination to have a child.  She is opening an advertising agency, working mostly from home.  She has never been concerned about how she looks or how she fits in with the community, but is heart sick that her daughter desperately wants to be part of the popular crowd and has been rejected by her classmates.  Eva is upset with her mother -- why can't she be like all the other mothers?  Marta would like her intelligent daughter to be more of an individualist and not follow the pack.  On the first day of school, Marta is pushed into removing her tattered jeans and combat boots for something a little dressier so that she doesn't upset Eva.

Marta likes motorcycles and has a Harley.  She has always wanted a Freedom motorcycle, and when she hears they are opening an office in Seattle , she hopes that her small agency will take part in their advertising.  She keeps telling herself that she doesn't want a man in her life, but when she sees a man on her morning run, she can't stop thinking about him, and when she runs into him at the grocery store, she is breathless and dazzled.  Luke stares at Marta, while she stares at him -- obviously, the attraction is mutual.

Written in first person with a very easy-to-read style, Marta is a fascinating character who prides herself on being a leader rather than a follower, even though she is sometimes chastised for it.  Her daughter challenges her -- she is like a grownup little lady who knows what she wants, and even if she fails, she gets back up and at it again.  And although she is a little grown up for a nine-year-old, the love and friendship between mother and daughter is tangible, until Eva's bid for popularity gets in the way.  Marta has a balancing act taking time with her daughter, the hours she puts in with her new company, and her mother's advancing Alzheimer's disease.  A light-hearted book with deeper undertones, it has both serious and funny situations, as the feisty Marta gets backed into a corner by trying to please Eva and by her growing fascination for Luke.

ODD MOM OUT's emphasis is on the relationship between mother and daughter, although the romance gets a little more intense in the latter part of the book.  It is a well-written, original, and interesting story that will gain even more fans for Jane Porter.  This reviewer will be looking forward to reading Ms. Porter's next offering.

Marilyn Heyman