A semi-autobiographical writing on transnational adoption in the 90s
Written by Judi Bevan, Too Many Books explores the subject of adoption in the 1990s. Drawing from her own experience of adopting a Chinese baby due to the country’s one-child policy, Bevan raises a central question: why go all the way to China to adopt a toddler when there are many older (and often more troubled) British children left in the system? This was a particularly complex issue in the UK compared to the US, where most families readily and happily adopted Chinese girls.
However, the play never fully confronts or even properly articulates this issue. The only attempt at an explanation comes in the second half, when the husband briefly mentions that their age makes them ineligible to adopt in the UK. Yet, this is far from a sufficient justification for the couple’s insistence on adopting from China. Julia (Lucy Pickles) and Daniel (John Sackville) never convincingly demonstrate their bond to China, aside from practicing a few Mandarin talks at the start and Daniel’s casual mention of making stir-fried chicken. These gestures could easily be criticised as orientalist or even colonialist, but they are the least of the script’s problems.
The real problem lies in the character of Zaydee (Alexandra O’Neill), the social worker, sacrificed as a mere obstacle, other than a constructed character, in the couple’s adoption process. Bevan appears an attempt to comment on the UK class, portraying Zaydee, a working-class single mother, as sceptical of the middle-class, well-educated couple with their shelves lined with books. As the official responsible for assessing their home study, she has the power to determine whether their adoption application succeeds.
For almost 80 minutes, the play is stuck in a repetitive loop where Zaydee bombards the couple with intrusive and antagonistic questions, such as “How many times a week do you have sex?” She expresses unwarranted concerns that their successful careers might negatively impact the child, going so far to force Julia to quit her job for three years—without any clear character drive. Even in the court scene, when Daniel appeals the adoption panel’s decision (largely shaped by Zaydee’s biased assessment), Bevan never allows Zaydee a fair chance to defend herself or articulate her perspective and arguments properly.
Absurdly, after the court appeal, Zaydee’s boss Cynthia (Sue Kelvin) changes another social worker Chloe (Carol Walton), everything is solved and they get the approval! At this point, you cannot help but wonder: what, exactly, was the point of the play up until now. In the final part, the Chinese authorities inform the couple that the baby they were initially set to adopt has hepatitis and must be swapped for another child. This could have been the perfect moment to address the “rescue motive” that Zaydee had repeatedly alluded to. However, again, it is let go easily.
However, the cast truly shines under Christopher Hunter’s brisk direction in Hannah Danson’s half-realistic, half-symbolic design of the couple’s lounge, with bookshelves forming the backwall. Sackville and Pickles convincingly portray a couple in their late 40s and early 50s, exuding the kind yet somewhat naïve demeanour of Wimbledon and theatre-going middle class. O’Neill skilfully transitions between Zaydee’s arrogant and pushy presence with the couple and her nature of vulnerability and insecurity in the face of Kelvin’s cynical and sly Cynthia. Last but not least, Walton also successfully distinguishes Chloe as a different kind of social worker, assertive yet far more empathetic and encouraging.
Ultimately, Too Many Books attempts to interrogate important themes but falls for incoherency. While the production is competently staged and well-acted, it undermines its own ambitions by offering a meandering script that might be emotionally fluent, but clearly logically flawed.