Review: The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

• Paperback:448 pages
• Publisher:Random House Trade Paperbacks (August 16, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0812973224
• Source: Publisher

In 1964, an infant orphan arrives at an all-girls Wilton College. Named Henry, the infant is to serve as a “practice baby” for young women enrolled in the home economics program. Henry isn’t the first baby in this program, nine other babies have taken part in this program.  The practice babies stay for two years before being adopted. Six practice mothers take week-long shifts, spending every moment with the practice baby, expected to learn the practice of child-rearing hands-on.

The program director, Martha Gaines, feels a bond with Henry she hasn’t allowed herself to form before.  She chastises the practice mothers for coddling the babies, picking them up as soon as they start crying, but she herself can’t help but feel something special for young Henry.

When the time comes for Henry to be adopted, special circumstances allow him to remain in the practice home with Martha as his caretaker. While he’s surrounded by women who nurture him, since they switch out quite regularly, he is unable to form any sort of emotional attachment or bond with any of them.

Martha, used to only raising children until they are barely toddlers, is shocked to learn she doesn’t know much about caring for children who are older.  She doesn’t know how to truly love a child, only understanding the practical aspects of child-rearing. So, as Henry gets older, he craves the attention of those around him, desperate to have a normal family to call his own.

The Irresistible Henry House follows Henry’s life from infancy to adulthood, from his stay at a home for children with special needs to his career in animation, working for Walt Disney.  His almost callousness toward women, his apparent lack of consideration for their feelings angered me in the beginning.  The pursuit of women was a game for him; he knew he could use his charm to get whatever woman he wanted.  Ultimately, however, understanding Henry’s upbringing, his lack of a true mother and female role-model, allowed me to get past these feelings and watch Henry’s character transform as the pages turned.

As a mother myself, I was quite intrigued at the methods women were taught for child-rearing. The role of women as parents has grown tremendously, but for many of the practice mothers in this book, parenting was the only “job” they’d ever have. Babies were expected to learn how to calm themselves. If they woke up from a nap early than scheduled, mothers were expected to listen to their child cry until it was time for them to awake. Nowadays, while it’s important to attain a schedule with an infant, it would break my heart not to be able to pick up and comfort a child.

Additionally, comforting a child by talking to them, singing to them, caressing them, was forbidden as well.  I’m glad to see things have changed! I realize I only know what I have experienced, but I can’t imaging not being able to cuddle with my child.

My mother was a home economics teacher. I just had to discuss this book with her!  She started school just as practice houses were ceasing to exist and by that time practice babies were no longer used. She could recall many of the practices referred to in The Irresistible Henry House. 

I was interested to learn about the author’s inspiration for this book. While researching on the internet, she came across a picture of a young baby boy. The baby was a practice baby in Cornell University’s home economics program.  The program began in 1919 and lasted until 1969.  Programs like this existed for decades all over the country, the idea of practice babies only ceasing after a representative from child welfare questioned the effects of this sort of upbringing.

I found The Irresistible Henry House to be quite the interesting in engaging read. Other reviews have commented on the lack of development of the other characters, but I actually see this as a means for the reader to see and experience these woman much as Henry did: characters in his life but no real substance to them.

This is definitely a book to be discussed, making it perfect for a book club selection. There are so many topics to discuss, not only involving child-rearing but including the evolution of the role of women.  Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Check out the tour’s official page and check out the other stops along the way.