The Mothers by Brit Bennett Published by Riverhead Books on October 11, 2016
Genres/Lists: Diverse, Fiction
Pages: 278
Read synopsis on Goodreads
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Following her mother’s suicide, Nadia Turner is hurting. At 17, she has good grades and is filled with dreams and ambitions, but she also harbors a hole in her heart that she fills with rebellious acts. So when Luke Sheppard, an older boy and son of the local pastor, shows interest and compassion, they ensconce themselves in a world of their own making. But young love rarely lasts and an unintended pregnancy leads to decisions that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Choices are rarely a singular event – they have consequences for each and every person involved. Oftentimes, these impacts are obvious, but frequently they are subtle, bubbling under the surface and manifesting in a variety of ways. The Mothers is about the cascading effects of one such decision.
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One of the best things about this book was Bennett’s ability to shift my sympathies from character to character. Small details revealed and realized created temporary and permanent sympathies and hatreds that I did not expect. Combined with her palpable descriptions reminiscent of The Nest and The Girls (I sense a trend in titles….) the overall effect is mesmerizing. For example:
She felt like a sliver of herself, like an ice cube passed around inside a mouth until it hollowed into a slender crescent.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett is a stunning book told through the point of view of the older women at church, known colloquially as The Mothers. The reality, though, is that the mothers represent so much more: Nadia’s own mother, being a mother, wanting to be a mother, regretting not being a mother, having a mother, being cast off by a mother, and finding a mother. It’s about fathers and daughters and the loneliness that persists following the loss of a mother. It’s about marriage and secrets and first loves and lost loves, not only of the romantic kind. But it’s also about choices and how one choice, seemingly benign at the time, can reverberate for years.
Recommended for: Fans of literary writing and difficult subjects that cast aside judgment.
Brit Bennett mesmerizes in her judgment-free portrayal of difficult subjects in #TheMothers. Click To Tweet
