Editorial Content for Cherry Baby

Rainbow Rowell, the bestselling author of works for both adults and young adults, follows the release of SLOW DANCE with CHERRY BABY, which features a plus-size protagonist whose life --- and thick, curvy body --- are about to hit the big screen.

Well, not exactly. You see, Cherry is the 36-year-old wife of Tom Valentine, the nation’s current number-one grumpy Midwestern crush thanks to the publicizing of his webcomic, Thursday. Partially autobiographical, it began as doodles posted to MySpace and has since expanded into a series of bestselling books and now a blockbuster live-action film. Though Cherry has never read the series in full (a promise she made to Tom on one of their first dates), she does know one thing: the comic features a gorgeous, curvy woman named Baby, who, like herself, is fat.

Thick-waisted and double-chinned, Baby represents all the insecurities and internalized fatphobia that Cherry has struggled with her whole life. More importantly, she represents what Cherry believes her husband thinks of her: chins, lots of chins. While that realization has stung for the entirety of their marriage, it’s about to hurt a lot worse.

"CHERRY BABY is a tender, heartfelt second-chance romance that reads like a love letter to a woman’s body and a reminder that nothing is as important as how she feels in it."

With the release of the movie’s trailer, the entire world has started to recognize Baby as Cherry, and they’re very comfortable commenting on it. Tom isn’t there to tell her how beautiful or sexy she is, or how much he loves her, because they are currently divorcing. Tom is off for a new life in Los Angeles, leaving Cherry in Omaha, dividing their things and saying goodbye to the house into which she put years of creativity to make a home.

Don’t get out the tissues just yet! As miserable as Cherry’s life sounds, on the night we meet her, she is actually feeling great. She is on her way to see a favorite childhood band perform her favorite album in full, and she looks good. (Let’s get it out of the way right now: Cherry may know she’s fat, and she may even feel self-conscious about it sometimes. But she never thinks she’s ugly, and she has been trained to highlight her curves in the best ways possible.)

When a chance encounter with her college crush, Russell Sutton, reminds her what it’s like to feel young and sexy again, Cherry starts to learn that apparently she always has been irresistible to him. Ruggedly handsome with a devious twinkle in his eye --- and a flat stomach --- Russ is the kind of guy that girls like Cherry only dream of approaching, let alone dating or hooking up with. And yet, with every kiss, touch and slow burn removal of clothing, Russ only seems hungrier for her. Maybe now she can ignore the Thursday release and her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s rise to fame. But then Tom calls her.

Tom is finally ready to make the move to Los Angeles permanent, and that means coming by to divvy up the house. Although they try to avoid each other, their cordial civility results in Post-its where they beg the other to take more and say that everything will be okay. It’s a delicate dance. As Cherry’s once-beloved home starts to look more like a crime scene or warehouse, she begins to spend more time with Russ, and avoiding news of Thursday becomes harder. Russ works in the mayor’s office and is never not on the one-day campaign trail himself. Thanks to his desire to show Cherry off and publicize their romance, comparisons between her and Baby are always just around the corner.

Meanwhile, Tom’s return is igniting conflicted feelings for Cherry, who chronicles their early relationship in flashbacks that highlight the tension of their new non-relationship. We arrive in Cherry’s life in a firm anti-Tom camp (along with her devout sisters, who frequently emerge from the sidelines to squawk about the sins of divorce and premarital sex). But we come to see him as a unique, complicated person, not unlike Cherry herself. At the same time, Russ’ character unfolds as a literary dreamboat, the kind of romantic hero who only exists in books, even when the stress of Cherry’s impending divorce throws a wrench into their relationship.

Rainbow Rowell takes a bold, unflinching approach to Cherry's post-separation and early-dating life. In doing so, she unpacks a lot of difficult truths about romance, sex and identity. Cherry’s life is full of ups and downs, but Rowell is careful never to overly celebrate the highs or lament the lows. In the life of an adult woman going through a divorce, they’re all transformative, necessary and worthy of attention.

Cherry, our gorgeous, unforgettable protagonist, is fully capable of handling everything that life throws at her, but what makes her journey so memorable and poignant is that she does struggle. She cries, has outbursts and locks herself in bathrooms. But she also reflects, takes accountability and grows, and it is in that balance that Rowell’s magic comes to life. Even when you want to shake Cherry (and you will disagree with at least one of her choices), your heart simply breaks, soars and sings for her, and her ruminations on her body and appearance feel like missives from a dear friend.

CHERRY BABY is a tender, heartfelt second-chance romance that reads like a love letter to a woman’s body and a reminder that nothing is as important as how she feels in it.