The School for Good Mothers

 

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Title: The School for Good Mothers
Author: Jessamine Chan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 1.4.22


Publisher’s Summary
In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.

Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. What’s worse is she can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she’s just enough.

Until Frida has a horrible day.

The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida — ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words, mothers who only have one lapse of judgement. Now, a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers — that she can learn to be good.

This propulsive, witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect” upper-middle-class parenting, the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other, and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter.


My Review
First, a mini-backstory and rant: 

I read this book at the beginning of December and was excited to write my review. Then I saw it was chosen as a book club pic, and that just put a bad taste in my mouth. I know that being chosen as a book club selection is a great honor for authors, but as a reader, I can't stand the idea of people reading something just so they can be doing what everyone else is doing. It's too much like the "gotta jump on a new trend even if I don't like it because I don't want to be left out" high school bullshit.  *end rant* So, 2 months later, I'm finally writing my review. 

The School for Good Mothers was one of the most intense stories I've read about autonomy, social judgement, and the value of motherhood since The Handmaid's Tale. Yes, I know that every near-future feminst dystopian novel makes that comparison, but all I can say is that this one hit me in the gut in a way I can't remember feeling since I read The Handmaid's Tale. 

The main character, Frida is "not an alcoholic, not an addict, that she has no criminal record. She’s gainfully employed and a peaceful, committed co-parent. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in literature from Brown and Columbia, a 401(k) account, a college savings fund for [her daughter] Harriet." After a major lapse in judgement, Frida loses custody of her daughter and is sentenced to a year in a new type of rehabilitation program offering instruction and training to become a better mother. At the end of the year, "she must demonstrate her capacity for genuine maternal feeling and attachment, hone her maternal instincts, show she can be trusted." If she does not meet these standards, gets expelled, or quits, her parental rights will be terminated and her name will be added to the Negligent Parent Registry. At the school, the mothers are forced to perform various tasks that range from heartwrenching to downright disturbing--and the "tools" they use to perform these tasks are straight up the shit out of horror movies. 

I found each of the characters very well written and even among the wildly different attitudes and reactions within the institution, I felt compassion for almost every student mother. This novel peels back the layers of judgement against mothers. What makes a "good mother" and what makes a "bad mother"? What is the hierarchy within each group? Must a woman who is a mother always act as a mother first and foremost? Who has harsher standards for mothers, society or mothers themselves? This novel had me clenching my jaw and on the verge of tears almost the entire time. Debut author Jessamine Chan deftly draws a picture of a near future where government overreach and the dark complexities of motherhood collide. I definitely recommend this book, especially to mothers, and I will be snapping up Chan's next release the moment it becomes available.