Abby Adler Character Analysis: From Desperate Mother to Unwitting Pawn

Overview

Abby Adler is the protagonist of Freida McFadden’s psychological thriller The Surrogate Mother. An advertising executive in her late thirties, Abby is defined by a single overriding desire: to become a mother. After years of infertility, failed IVF, and a collapsed adoption, she enters into a surrogacy arrangement with her younger assistant, Monica Johnson. What begins as a hopeful solution spirals into a nightmare of drug-induced manipulation, gaslighting, and a murder frame-up. Abby’s journey is one of shattered trust, self-doubt, and a desperate fight to prove her sanity.

The novel opens with Abby learning she will be arrested for first-degree murder within twenty-four hours. The story then rewinds one year, showing how she arrived at this point. McFadden uses Abby’s perspective to immerse readers in her paranoia and confusion, making her an unreliable but sympathetic narrator.

Plot Role

Abby serves as both the viewpoint character and the primary victim of the conspiracy. Every plot event revolves around her: her infertility leads to the surrogacy deal; her trust allows Monica to embed herself in Abby’s life; her instability (caused by Monica’s drugging) alienates her husband Sam and her boss Denise; and her arrest sets up the central mystery—did she really commit murder, or is she being framed?

Abby is a classic “woman in peril” protagonist, but McFadden complicates the role by making Abby an unreliable narrator. The reader sees the story through her increasingly foggy lens, which creates suspense: we cannot fully trust her perceptions, yet we want to believe her. Abby’s discovery of the truth—that Sam and Monica have been having an affair and plotting against her for years—transforms her from a passive victim into an active investigator, culminating in the climactic confrontation where Monica holds everyone at gunpoint.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Desperation for Motherhood

Abby’s drive to have a child is her primary motivation. She cries over negative pregnancy tests, keeps a baby shower gift from a failed adoption (Chapter 4), and breaks down when Sam suggests adopting a toddler instead of using a surrogate (Chapter 9). Her willingness to accept Monica’s offer, despite its obvious risks, stems from this desperation. She overlooks red flags—like Monica’s claim of being from Indiana yet being a loyal Red Sox fan—because she cannot bear to lose another chance at a baby.

Trusting Nature (to a Fault)

Abby trusts Sam completely and initially trusts Monica. She rejects her friend Shelley’s warnings that Monica might develop feelings for Sam (Chapter 7). She calls Monica’s mother and roommate but lets her unease slide (Chapter 8). Even when she suspects Monica is drugging her coffee, she cannot convince Sam. Her trust makes her vulnerable, but it also makes her a sympathetic character—we see her as someone who believes in the best in people.

Resilience Under Pressure

Despite being drugged, fired, accused of being a meth addict, and framed for murder, Abby never gives up. She contacts former assistant Gertie to gather evidence (Chapter 28), visits Monica’s former roommates (Chapter 33), and confronts Monica’s mother (Chapter 34). She pieces together the affair and the plot. In the climax, she frees herself from restraints by cutting her bindings on a sharp radiator edge (Chapter 40), showing physical and mental toughness.

Self-Doubt and Memory Gaps

Abby’s internal struggle includes questioning her own sanity. In the Prologue, she wonders if she actually committed the crime she cannot remember. She is horrified by her haggard reflection (Chapter 27) and worries that everyone is right about her being a drug addict. This self-doubt is a key trait—it makes her characterization realistic and deepens the gaslighting theme.

Chronological Arc

Pre-Surrogacy (One year before arrest): Abby is an advertising executive thrilled about a baby shower, but the reader learns she is not pregnant (Chapter 1). She has been through years of infertility and failed IVF. She hopes to adopt, but the birth mother backs out (Chapter 2).
Decision to Use Monica as Surrogate: After a romantic evening, Sam agrees to the surrogacy (Chapter 9). Abby ignores inconsistencies about Monica’s background, determined to move forward.
Pregnancy and Early Red Flags: Monica becomes pregnant. Abby begins to experience memory lapses, fatigue, and a false-positive drug test. Her boss Denise fires her after finding meth in her drawer (Chapter 21). Sam believes Monica over Abby.
Descent into Paranoia and Isolation: Sam and Monica present Abby with an ultimatum: go to inpatient rehab or lose the baby (Chapter 27). Abby feels completely alone. She contacts Gertie for help (Chapter 28).
Murder and Arrest: Denise calls Abby to say she discovered Monica tampering with evidence. Abby goes to meet her and finds Denise dead, holding a blood-soiled letter opener engraved with Abby’s name (Chapter 29). She is interrogated but not arrested (Chapter 30).
Investigation and Revelation: Abby learns Monica’s real family lives in New York, not Indiana. She meets Monica’s mother, who reveals Monica has borderline personality disorder, a genius IQ, and was a suspect in a drowning (Chapter 34). Abby discovers Sam and Monica’s three-year affair (Chapter 35).
Climax and Resolution: Monica holds Sam at gunpoint; Abby frees herself. Monica shoots Sam, then herself. Monica survives but is in a permanent vegetative state. Abby and Sam adopt the baby, David (Chapter 41–Epilogue). The epilogue shows Abby unsettled by David’s attachment to Monica’s childhood blanket.

Relationships

Sam Adler (Husband)

Abby loves Sam deeply. She defends him to her mother and trusts him completely. Their relationship deteriorates as Sam begins to believe Monica’s accusations. Abby feels betrayed when she learns Sam has been having an affair with Monica for three years and may have helped frame her. However, Sam ultimately chooses Abby over Monica in the climax, and they reconcile. The relationship is a study in how gaslighting can destroy trust.

Monica Johnson (Surrogate/Assistant)

Initially Abby sees Monica as a savior. She admires Monica’s efficiency and feels guilty for checking her references. As Monica’s manipulation becomes apparent, Abby’s feelings shift to fear and hatred. Monica is a foil: young, fertile, and seemingly trustworthy, but actually calculating and dangerous.

Shelley (Friend)

Shelley is Abby’s sounding board. She warns Abby about Monica early on, but Shelley becomes distant after the murder, believing Abby may be guilty. Her skepticism adds to Abby’s isolation but her return (believing Abby about the affair) provides emotional support.

Denise Holt (Boss)

Denise is a demanding boss who fires Abby. Yet she later admits she may have been wrong and becomes a victim of Monica’s plot. Her death is the catalyst for Abby’s arrest.

Mother

Abby’s mother is critical of Sam and the surrogacy plan. She insists Abby is innocent and offers legal advice, but their relationship is strained. The mother’s dislike of Sam proves prescient.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision	Consequence
Accepting Monica’s surrogacy offer (Chapter 5)	Gives Monica access to Abby’s life, leading to drugging, framing, and murder
Ignoring the Red Sox inconsistency (Chapter 9)	Prevents Abby from exposing Monica’s lies early, allowing the conspiracy to deepen
Not telling Sam about her concerns (Chapter 9)	Leaves Sam unaware of Monica’s true nature, making him more likely to believe Monica
Meeting Denise at the office (Chapter 29)	Abby walks into a murder scene and becomes the prime suspect
Confronting Monica’s mother and roommates (Chapters 33–34)	Reveals Monica’s true identity and the affair, enabling Abby to understand the plot
Cutting her bindings during the climax (Chapter 40)	Allows Abby to escape and save Sam, though Monica shoots herself

Theme and Symbol Connections

Betrayal and Deception: Abby is betrayed by both Monica (who pretends to be a friend) and Sam (who hides an affair). The entire plot hinges on deception—false identities, drugged coffee, planted evidence.
Infertility and Motherhood: Abby’s obsession with having a baby makes her vulnerable. The theme explores how far someone will go to become a parent and the emotional toll of infertility.
Trust and Paranoia: Abby learns that no one can be trusted, including her husband. The novel uses her paranoia (both justified and unjustified) to create suspense.
Obsession and Manipulation: Monica’s obsession with Sam drives the plot. She manipulates Abby, Sam, and others to achieve her goal.
Gaslighting and False Accusation: Monica systematically makes Abby doubt her sanity by drugging her, planting evidence, and turning Sam against her. The false accusation of murder is the ultimate gaslight.

Symbols:

The Letter Opener: A gift from Sam, the letter opener becomes the murder weapon used to frame Abby. It symbolizes how the things she loves (Sam, her marriage) become tools of her destruction.
Monica’s Blanket: In the epilogue, the blanket carries Monica’s scent and triggers David’s attachment. It represents the inescapable presence of biological ties and trauma.
The “Mommy Fuel” Mug: A baby shower gift that Abby cannot bear to look at. It symbolizes her pain over lost pregnancies and her fragile emotional state.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Abby ignore Monica’s Red Sox comment when it clearly bothers her? Abby suppresses the inconsistency because she does not want to derail the surrogacy plan. She has already experienced two failed adoptions and fears that any doubt will make Sam change his mind. Her desperation for a child overrides her caution.

2. How does Abby’s relationship with her mother contribute to her isolation? Abby’s mother is critical of Sam and the surrogacy, but she is also one of the few people who believes Abby is innocent. Yet Abby resents her mother’s negativity and resists confiding in her fully. This leaves Abby without a strong support system when she needs it most.

3. What specific evidence does Abby use to deduce that Sam is having an affair with Monica? Abby pieces together: (a) Monica’s mother reveals that Monica had an affair with a married math professor named Sam; (b) the timeline shows the affair began three years before the surrogacy; (c) Sam was the one who “verified” Monica’s background check; (d) he likely helped plant the meth and the letter opener.

4. Why does Abby ultimately decide to keep the baby despite Monica being the biological mother? Abby has already bonded with the baby during the pregnancy and views him as her son. After the trauma, she cannot bear to lose him. Sam also wants to raise the child. The decision is both emotional and practical—they have built a family.

5. What does the final scene with the blanket suggest about Abby’s future? The blanket’s lingering hold over David implies that Monica’s legacy cannot be erased. Even in a vegetative state, Monica continues to influence the family. Abby may never fully exorcise the shadow of the woman who tried to destroy her life.