Deb Caletti’s New “Abortion Road Trip Love Story”

Lynn: One in four. That is the number—current and historic. One in four women have chosen abortion, often at the cost of their lives, sometimes legally and sometimes hidden and secret. One in four women has a story about this immensely difficult decision. Deb Caletti tells a few of these stories in her new YA novel, Plan A (Random/Labyrinth, Oct. 2023). And because it is Deb Caletti, we have a brave girl finding her path, warm family relationships, vivid characters, and of course, a road trip.

When Texas teen Ivy becomes pregnant she faces difficult choices complicated by the new anti-abortion laws in her state. Ivy is working hard and saving money to go to college and she dreams of a future that would be devastated by a pregnancy. When she tells her mother and boyfriend, they support Ivy’s decision and plan a journey to Oregon where her grandmother lives and where she can get a legal abortion.

This is a brief inadequate summary of a powerful story filled with the painful emotional journey of a young girl facing a difficult choice which is trebled when her schoolmates discover her condition accidentally. The judgment and fall-out are especially hateful in this largely fundamentalist town and it impacts her mother, younger brother, and boyfriend as well. Ivy’s journey is an actual journey as well and the road trip she makes with Lorenzo is a joy. I don’t think anyone writes a road trip better than Caletti! It is fun to make the trip with the teens as they drive the “Avalanche” along the trip mapped out by Lorenzo, visiting diners, parks and corny attractions along the way. For Ivy, it is also a journey of discovery as women relatives along the way divulge their own secret histories and provide strength and encouragement.

Sometimes the plot is purposeful and there are also some conveniences to be accepted. But I was never bothered by these nor by the definite point of view of the story. I am certain this book is going to get a lot of criticism from those who oppose abortion. But I think it is an important book for young people. If anything, the history of women’s reproductive rights is even more difficult than portrayed here. In a time of great polarization of view on this subject, Caletti’s book presents one side clearly and strongly.

The characters are delightful and their emotional struggles ring true. And the many stories told here need to be told. Caletti does this in a compelling and outstanding tale.