I’ll Watch Your Baby is a riveting story of friendship, but also tragic as it shows the interconnectedness between different Black women across generations and how that pain manifests.
I’ll Watch Your Baby is a horror that makes the skin crawl, setting an irresistible squirm in your spine as you wonder if you can survive till the end of the story. Its elements of gothic horror meets possession feel possible in such an uneven world. It feels incomplete by the final stretch. But there is a sense that a sequel novel will answer more of the questions left ringing in the first book. I’ll Watch Your Baby is a riveting story of friendship, but also tragic as it shows the interconnectedness between different Black women across generations and how that pain manifests.
Written by Neena Viel, the story takes the historical tale of Linda Taylor, dubbed the “Welfare Queen,” and paints a sharp picture that focuses on pain, friendship, love, jealousy, and supernatural underpinnings. The story seesaws between Lottie in Chicago in the 1970s and Bless in the 1990s. Although separate, their paths are on a crash course. However, for much of the story, you wonder how the two timelines connect. I’ll Watch Your Baby steeps the legend in something more, reminding audiences that misogynoir was as rampant then as it is now. So, don’t take every story about a Black woman at face value.
I’ll Watch Your Baby Keeps the Mystery Lingering
Neena Viel’s story steeps the story in questions as it seesaws between the two timelines because it does not tell us how they connect. It begins with Lottie’s first-person narration that is darkly humorous as she looks down on the people around her, seeing them as nothing more than marks to be used or manipulated by her. This is a woman who needs no one and just focuses on the bag. Bless in the 1994 timeline is a thief, breaking into a home with friends before heading to some home in the middle of nowhere to complete an insurance scam. Or so she thinks.
I’ll Watch Your Baby dangles the mystery for a long time as readers wonder how the two time frames come together and what happened back then that plays a part in what’s transpiring in Bless’s time. Even as answers start to come, there is always a question after. Neena Viel’s ability to dangle mystery without making it feel contrived is an art that few creators of film or books can achieve. I’ll Watch Your Baby keeps readers in detective mode.
Distinct Protagonists
Lottie and Bless are two protagonists who act completely different. Lottie needs no one. She does whatever it takes, including snatching and selling off kids, to earn money to get whatever she wants. Meanwhile, Bless lives for her friend. Even the narrative differences stand out distinctly, with Lottie looking at her machinations with a detached but self-congratulatory air for her performances. Her repeated use of the word “Legba” sounds more like a call to a god she’s in conversation with than a random prayer. While Lottie is not the best person, she is compelling, given her unique voice and how she does everything with style.
This is an example of crafting a character that feels bigger than the page, is imperfect and unlikable at times, but riveting. Lottie demands first-person narration. Legba knows she would not let any random, no-name individual explain her experiences to her or anyone else. Bless, however, is comfortable with someone else calling the shots. Hence, her absolute trust in Sasha. The stories of how these characters became who they are open in snippets as the story unfolds. I’ll Watch Your Baby makes two different protagonists but keeps readers steeped in fascination for both.
The Horror Creeps in as Insidious as Bugs
Now, for those squeamish about flies, especially, brace yourself. It’s not used gratuitously. There is a purpose to their existence as it heralds more than mere horror and hints at an undisclosed past that lingers maniacally within both timelines. It goes back to the unknown girl in the prologue, whose narration is brief, traumatic, and heartbreaking because, unlike Lottie and Bless, she has no name. Still, the number of flies and how they maneuver adds a layer of dread, elevating the impending terror with every appearance.
I’ll Watch Your Baby does more than paint a story of one-dimensional characters. It shows readers people making choices based on their past. It does not excuse the choices, but it also refuses to overlook the circumstances that shape them. Society makes the problem, then points and says, “Look there!” I’ll Watch Your Baby is a gripping, slow-burning, gothic horror book that makes readers excited for more to come.
