The L-Shaped Room

Jane, a young French unmarried mother-to-be, takes a room in a seedy London boardinghouse that is inhabited by an assortment of misfits. She considers getting an abortion, then rethinks this solution. She falls into a relationship with Toby, a struggling young writer who stays on the first floor. Eventually she comes to like her odd room and makes friends with all the unique characters in the house. But she still faces two problems: what to do with her baby, and what to do about Toby.—John Oswalt