Supermarket Baby by Susan Flanagan

Who would have thought that a single dose of “cold and sinus” medication and a quick trip to the supermarket would unleash a series of unfortunate events for newly retired, Henry Puddester. The movie-star handsome civil servant just wanted to ride off into the sunset on his 1970 Triumph motorcycle, but instead, the freshly minted house husband finds himself in the thick of things when a baby mysteriously turns up in his shopping cart. With a pending charge for child abduction, things could not possibly get any worse for Henry. Enter the eccentric stranger and gun-toting gal named Delores and her 1983 Ford LTD named Daisy. And so it begins, two weeks of unintentionally hilarious and ill-fated circumstances that leave Henry scratching his head and wondering if he will ever survive all this misfortune.

A #ReadAtlantic book!

Winner of the 2019 Percy Janes First Novel Award, Supermarket Baby, is quite frankly the comic relief that our Covid world needs! Award-winning author Susan Flanagan does a superb job at crafting a storyline of comedic elements that draws the reading audience into the show. Newfoundland readers near and far will recognize many of the plot details like Chase The Ace in the Goulds, headless parking meters in downtown St. John’s, and hiking the East Coast Trail to a place called The Spout. Equally intriguing are the quirky characters that Flanagan expertly pens. From Henry’s 10-year-old, Fortnite-addicted son Dash to his crackerjack lawyer wife Millie, each character is portrayed as loveable but slightly flawed.

Supermarket Baby is a light-hearted and fun read. Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse in the world, they do!!!!!


Susan Flanagan has worked as a freelance journalist in St. John’s for more than thirty years. She graduated from King’s College in Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 1991, and her written works have appeared in Canadian Geographic, National Geographic (maps), Canadian Running, Newfoundland Quarterly, Hockey News, Doctors’ Review, Atlantic Progress, Atlantic Business, Saltscapes, and many others. Susan lives with her husband and two of their five children in St. John’s.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flanker Press Ltd. (Feb. 3 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 281 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1774570106
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1774570104

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Stephanie Collins is a retired school administrator and teacher from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. A lover of literature and an avid reader, Stephanie loves travelling, outdoor activities, and riding shotgun in her RV or on the back of a motorcycle. Stephanie enjoys writing about her travels, reviewing new titles, and is an aspiring children’s book writer. Her reviews can be found at Fireside Collections and you can follow her on Twitter @MrsCollinsNL.