A. I have never known a surrogate mother but can understand why a woman might want to enter into such an arrangement. In writing the book, I tried very hard to in no way criticize surrogate motherhood per se.

Q. Physical beauty plays a subtle but large role in this book. Amanda is described repeatedly as angelic and beautiful, as is Sonny, while Gus is short and somewhat deformed. It is critically important to Amanda that her surrogate be attractive and athletic. What was your intention with this line of detail?

A. It seemed only natural to me that Amanda, whose own beauty had been such an important part of her appeal and power, would do everything possible to create a perfectly formed, beautiful child to replace her handsome son and to follow in her footsteps.

Judith Henry Wall