Abortionist's Daughter (Hyde)

The Abortionist's Daughter 
Elisabeth Hyde, 2006
Knopf Doubleday
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780307276414 


Summary
Elisabeth Hyde has taken a powerful moral predicament and constructed around it a richly layered, compulsively readable novel about a murder in a small Colorado town, about the choices we make and the way their unintended consequences ripple through our lives.

Two weeks before Christmas, Diana Duprey, an outspoken abortion doctor, is found floating in her pool, a bruise the size of a golf ball visible through her dark curls. A national figure, Diana inspired passion and ignited tempers, never more so than on the day of her death.

Her husband, Frank, an attorney in the D.A.'s office for more than twenty years, had fought bitterly with her on the day of her murder. Yet to reveal the nature of their fight would cost him not only his career but something greater still-a relationship he will go to any lengths to protect. Diana's daughter, Megan, a college freshman, had also quarreled with Diana that day, and her role in her mother's murder will prove more significant than she ever could have anticipated. The Reverend Stephen O'Connell, founder of the town's pro-life coalition, obviously had issues with Diana, but his anger extended beyond the political to the personal-namely, Dr. Duprey's involvement with his own troubled teenager. Meanwhile, the detective on the case grapples to make sense of it all. His investigation implicates many in this town and reveals a series of gross miscalculations, each one challenging what we know, or think we know, about community, fidelity, justice, and love.

A riveting and provocative page-turner: a novel of stunning economy and momentum by a writer poised for wide discovery. (From the publisher.)

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Author Bio
Elizabeth Hyde is the author of three previous novels, including Crazy as Chocolate. Born and raised in New Hampshire, she has since lived in Vermont, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Seattle. In 1979 she received her law degree and practiced briefly with the U.S. Department of Justice. She has taught creative writing in the public schools as well as through Naropa University. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Colorado.  (From the publisher.)

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Book Reviews
Hyde thoughtfully explores the illusion of choice and spins a tale rife with tragic consequences.... What a pleasure it is to read this well-crafted novel with complicated characters and interesting ideas.
Boston Sunday Globe


What works best in this novel is not the issue of abortion (duly presented and dissected from both sides) nor the revelation of the murderer but the family backstories, which reveal Hyde at her best. The dialogue between Megan and her mother is biting, edgy and dismayingly real. "Have fun killing babies," Megan tosses off as a parting zinger the last time she sees her mother. So, too, are the flashback scenes between Frank and his wife, a couple on the brink of divorce. Their fights have at times escalated to brief flurries of violent behavior.
Anita Shreve - The Washington Post


The Abortionist’s Daughter explores the subtleties of belief , in the ways in which even seeming extremists can amend and alter their convictions without losing them.... Political controversy aside, this is a mystery that works, one whose turns are neither obvious nor illogical...and Hyde’s ability to grapple with loaded issues without putting the story second is impressive.
The Austin Chronicle


Dr. Diana Duprey-abortion clinic director, wife of local Colorado DA Frank Thompson and mother of 19-year-old college freshman Megan-has plenty of enemies, so when her body is found floating in the exercise pool of her garden tour-featured house, the list of suspects is long. Aside from abortion opponents and distraught parents, there were the arguments overheard between Frank and Diana, and Megan and Diana shortly before. The coroner, a woman with whom Frank had had an affair, won't do the autopsy, and a man harboring a grudge against Frank takes her place. Meanwhile, Megan finds herself attracted to Huck Berlin, the policeman assigned to the case, and Huck finds Megan in various compromising positions. Former U.S. attorney Hyde (Crazy as Chocolate) describes Megan's contradictory, confused emotions without oversimplification ("Have fun killing babies" were Megan's inadvertent last words to her mother). Hyde also jumps back in time, delving into Diana's work at the clinic and her feelings about it, as well as the lives and feelings of her clients. Rather than generating suspense, the murder provides a frame for the turbulence in and around a woman propelled by idealism and strongly held beliefs. Look for this book to get play as South Dakota's challenge to Roe v. Wade wends through the courts.
Publishers Weekly


On a chilly December evening, Colorado abortion clinic founder Dr. Diana Duprey is found dead beside her home pool. Who killed her? The clues are few but the suspects are legion-Diana's high-profile career had inflamed feelings on both sides of the Roe v. Wade aisle. Among the suspects are the minister whose pro-life group regularly picketed her clinic; the woman who left hate messages on her voice mail; her daughter, with whom she'd argued that morning; and her husband, whose litany of resentment and rejection grew daily. The police have a tough time sifting through the sensational publicity and intricate interrelationships of these small-town, high-powered people to answer this fundamental question. Hyde's (Crazy as Chocolate) latest novel deftly probes the many daily pains inflicted in relationships and delicately examines the sacrifices of her characters as they rebuild their lives amid swirls of ethical dilemmas. This is an exceptionally well-written book that pulls the reader nicely along right up until the surprise ending. Recommended for all fiction collections. —Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp. Lib., El Segundo, CA.
Library Journal


Who killed the opinionated abortion provider? Hyde (Crazy as Chocolate, 2002, etc.) opens with a heap of backstory baggage. Dr. Diana Duprey, when not performing controversial terminations at her Center for Reproductive Choice, dominates a family. Diana's marriage to Frank, a quietly seething attorney working in the DA's office, is unraveling; her Down's syndrome son Ben is dead; and sexually explicit pictures of her 19-year-old daughter Megan are circulating on the web. When the doctor's body is found in her lap pool, the blame is directed at Frank, sententious pro-choice campaigner Steven O'Connell, Megan's creepy ex-boyfriend Bill (who took the nude pictures) and pro-life activists who have been bombarding the doctor with hate mail. As events move forward, implausibilities stack up. For example, O'Connell had sought help from Duprey in a standoff concerning his son's girlfriend's pregnancy and her intention to have the baby, against her parent's wishes. Frank, after a violent argument with Diane on the night of the murder, had visited a porn merchant and bribed him to take the pictures of Megan down from his website. An attraction develops between Megan and Huck, one of the detectives assigned to the investigation, which gets Huck dropped from the case. Sensational, like the book's title, but not quite on target.
Kirkus Reviews

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Discussion Questions
1. While the book centers on the murder of Diana Duprey, Elisabeth Hyde has chosen to name it The Abortionist’s Daughter? Why do you think she chose this title? Did the title affect your reading of the book?

2. Discuss the marriage of Diana and Frank. How did their personalities impact their interactions? Do you think that they had a strong marriage? Why or why not?

3. At the time of Diana’s death, her relationship with Megan is strained at best. Do you think that their inability to communicate is a standard mother-daughter issue or do you think that it is caused by something more?

4. Although Ben has died many years before the events of the novel, his death continues to affect Frank, Diana, and Megan. Discuss how. How does Hyde make Ben’s continued presence felt in the Thompson household?

5. The last think that Megan says to Diana is “have fun killing babies.” Why do you think that Megan chose to attack her mother in this way? Does Megan disagree with her mother’s decision to perform abortions?

6. Although Frank Thomson has been a prosecuting attorney for more than twenty years and should know better, he cleans his house while it is a crime scene. What are his possible reasons for doing this? What did you think about his decision to clean up?

7. When Megan is driving to her house after learning of her mother’s death, Hyde writes, “The Big Thing that they’d always lived under the shadow of had happened. It was real. It didn’t seem real, but it was” (p. 28). Diana continued performing abortions despite the knowledge that doing so put her life at risk. What do you think motivated her decision to do so?

8. What do you think that Megan saw in Bill when she decided to date him? What do you think of Bill? Does your opinion change during the course of the novel?

9. Early into their relationship, Bill and Megan begin to have unprotected sex. Why do you think that Megan is so willing when she, of all people, should know better? Do you think that she is rebelling against her mother?

10. Diana continues to see Bill after he and Megan are no longer dating. What are her motivations for doing so? Why is it so important for Bill to keep in contact with Diana?

11. It seems like all of the characters in the novel have something to hide. How does this affect the investigation? In your opinion, who is hiding the most shocking secret?

12. Why does Huck hold a grudge against Frank Thompson? Is he justified in doing so? Does Huck’s grudge alter his conduct during the investigation?

13. Both Huck and Megan have much to lose by being in a relationship. Explain. Why do you think that they become involved? What do you think that they see in each other?

14. Discuss Huck’s relationship with Carolyn? How did they end up together? Were you surprised when their relationship ended? Why or why not?

15. When we first encounter Megan, she’s on drugs and has just had a juvenile fight with her mother. How much do you think that she grows during the course of the novel. Do you think that this is the direct result of her mother’s death, or do you think that there are other reasons as well? What are they?

16. Many of the characters in the novel end up making gross miscalculations. Discuss what some of these miscalculations are. In your opinion, which one ranks the worst? Why?

17. Were you able to figure out who killed Diana? What were the clues that lead you to this discovery? How did the motives of each of the suspects compare throughout the book?

18. Rose experiences pressure about her pregnancy from nearly everyone she knows. Why is her decision so significant to the other characters in the novel? What does she ultimately decide, and why?

19. While the issue of abortion certainly plays an important role in The Abortionist’s Daughter, Hyde addresses other hot button issues. What are they? Do you feel any differently about any of them after reading this book? How so?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

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