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Twenty-seven-year-old Sasha Salter has everything going for her. She’s started her career filming a children’s television show, and the show has taken off and become a huge success. Sasha is fulfilling her dream. One day after her best friend’s baby shower, Sasha visits her OB/GYN for her routine visit and finds out that she’s pregnant. Much to Sasha’s surprise, the results are recertified twice with the same conclusion: Sasha is pregnant. The only problem with this diagnosis is that Sasha has not had sex in over two years.
Sasha’s doctor refers her to a specialist who she thinks can help Sasha figure out her mystery. The specialist is working on a thesis about “lazy sperm.” After her first visit with the doctor, Sasha finds out that there’s a chance that someone she had sex with at some point in her life is the father of her child—even though it’s been many, many years since she was with him. Sasha agrees to contact all of her past lovers (luckily for her there were only 7 or 8) and explain the situation. She then has to convince each of them to offer up their DNA to see who matches the baby.
Throughout this turmoil in Sasha’s life, she struggles with a huge decision: should she keep the baby or give it up for adoption? She wonders what will the reaction of the father will be and what to do about her show. Sasha shares her dilemma with her two best friends. Hoping for support as she delivers the news to old lovers, Sasha grows more dependant on her friends and less independent. This lack of independence is a big change for her way of living, and she learns that everything in her life can change based on the results of her situation. Through her search for the father, Sasha relives the bonds she built with former lovers and sees how her relationship with each of them could have turned out.
Author Melissa Clark (who, coincidentally, is also the creator of the animated television show Braceface—which might make you wonder how much of Sasha is actually a duplicate of Melissa) does a wonderful job of building Sasha and bringing the reader to care about her and sympathize with her situation. The theory of “lazy sperm” is a fascinating idea that could reshape the lives of so many. Swimming Upstream Slowly is a very fun book that will draw you in and make you want to know more.
