Review: A Nanny for Harry by Sylvia Mulholland

Pregnancy, motherhood and the demands of a career prove to be a tough juggling act in A Nanny for Harry, a touching and often funny work of women’s fiction by Sylvia Mulholland.

Thirty-five-year-old attorney, Kali Miller, is potentially jeopardizing her already slow track to partnership by taking a three-month maternity leave to have a baby. As soon as her pregnancy had been confirmed, she and her handsome husband, Matt, a general surgery resident, purchased a pokey little house in trendy Belmont Shore that they set about fixing before the arrival of their baby boy, who they’ve already named Harry.

As Kali’s due date draws near, she begins to fret about time away from work and after several disastrous interviews with daycares, Matt decides to hire a live-in nanny. The only problem is, Britta Edvardson is a twenty-something, blonde, and gorgeous Swede who isn’t exactly nanny material – if the trail of dirty diapers and her abysmal housekeeping skills are anything to go by.

Kali immediately begins to suspect the close bond that forms between Matt and Britta after she and Harry come home from the hospital. To make matters worse, her somewhat reluctant return to work is heralded by a disastrous presentation and the threat of a complaint against her to the State Bar, thanks to a disgruntled computer programmer who is accusing Kali of making him lose a lucrative deal with a fried chicken chain. Suddenly, Kali’s life both on the home front and on work front are spinning out of control…

Although Mulholland’s narrative is humorous at times, there is vulnerability at its core that every woman who’s ever been pregnant can appreciate. It’s bad enough that Kali is five years older than her handsome hubby but when she sees herself reflected in the mirror in her last trimester of pregnancy, she likens herself to the plump and firm kielbasa sausages she ate as a child. All working women, especially those with careers, will be able to commiserate with Mulholland’s message: that while today’s woman can certainly have it all, it rarely happens without personal sacrifice.

The writing is solid in A Nanny for Harry, with the transitions between narrative and dialogue handled well, making for a quick and entertaining read. However, although the narrative is nicely shaded with humor and recognizable moments, the circumstances are somewhat unrealistic. Although Kali is a likable protagonist, it’s highly unlikely that she would hire such an attractive nanny to begin with, throwing the plot into question. Some suspension of disbelief is no doubt warranted, but her lack of foresight is a bit puzzling.

The plot is also somewhat weakened by the fact that the story jumps from Kali coming home with the baby in one chapter, to Kali’s three-month maternity being finished in the next, with her about to head back to work. It would have strengthened the story to have gotten a first-hand account of Kali’s co-existence with Harry and Britta during her maternity leave, which would strengthen her character’s perspective.

Although the plot could be stronger, A Nanny for Harry has many wonderful moments of humor and vulnerability to which all working and pregnant women should relate.