In her extraordinary novel, *The Soldier and the Sailor *, Claire Kilroy creates an unforgettable female character whose intense love for her newborn baby clashes with a drastic shift in her sense of identity. Married and feeling isolated and trapped in her life with her child, she begins to ponder at length issues of love, autonomy, togetherness, and responsibility. An old friend's encounter only deepens her dilemmas. Feeling unable to think clearly, the young mother is certain that her boundless love for her son is rapidly pulling her away from her familiar world and into an unknown, risky future.