The Mothers ★★★★★

The Mothers (Click Here To Buy)

★★★★★

The Mothers by Brit Bennett is a fiction book about the continued impact of loss over time. I read this on my Kindle on loan from the library. After Nadia’s mother completed suicide without warning or explanation, Nadia starts sleeping around with the preacher's son, Luke, until she discovers that she's pregnant and decides to get an abortion. The preacher takes pity on her and gives Nadia a summer job where she befriends Aubrey, whose mother left her for her abusive boyfriend. Nadia escapes her small Californian hometown and goes to college but her relationship with Luke and the baby she never has won't leave her...or Luke. Meanwhile, Luke is recovering from an injury that destroyed his football dreams, and starts a relationship, eventually marrying, Aubrey. Aubrey knows nothing of the history Luke and Nadia share. When Nadia returns to California due to her father being injured and needing to be taken care of, secrets begin to bubble to the surface. This is a sad book. It's beautifully written and drowns you slowly like a tide coming in. Each character is struggling with their own series of losses and their interactions are meager attempts at addressing their unfinished business. An especially unique aspect of the story is it's occasional narration by 'the mothers,' a 'Greek chorus'-like group of women associated with the church. Motherhood in all its essence is at the core of this book, as you may have guessed by the title. I have also read The Vanishing Half by this author, which was very popular last year, and I encourage you to check it out even though I actually liked this book more than that one.

If you liked The Mothers, I also recommend Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, and Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams.

happy reading.

Ms.Bjork