Scan barcode
A review by aotales
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
3.0
3.5-3.75 ⭐️
My feelings on this one are maddeningly all over the place. Because, on the one hand, it was an incredibly thought provoking, haunting novel exploring the unrealistic expectations we put upon mothers in our society - through the exaggerated lens of a dystopian (only slightly) world. Layers upon layers build in this novel surrounding the hot button topic of parenting - stigmas in cultural parenting styles (ie anything not white and North American equals wrong), parenting double standards, racism and incarceration, the systematic problem of blanketed standardized punishment/corrections for wide scale infractions, stigmas of mental health, medication, and suicide. I mean, this novel goes for it.
But, on that other hand, would I ever want to read this again? Would I ever recommend this to a friend? No and not likely. Because this novel is going to make you so damn angry on every damn page and for that damn reason it is so damn hard to finish. Readers are going to be split down the middle as to where your sympathies lie for our main character regarding the events surrounding her “bad day” and whether it is in fact a forgivable offence. It’s the whole crux of the storyline … is leaving an 18-month-old alone for over two hours okay? Is that maybe the point? Jessamine is instantly making you judge in a novel that explores how much we judge mothers …?
It’s a dozy of a novel, one I can’t stop thinking about, one that has stirred up a whole gauntlet of emotions, which is typically my benchmark for a good novel. But I hated reading it at the same time? If you’re ready for some literary self masochism, buckle up.
My feelings on this one are maddeningly all over the place. Because, on the one hand, it was an incredibly thought provoking, haunting novel exploring the unrealistic expectations we put upon mothers in our society - through the exaggerated lens of a dystopian (only slightly) world. Layers upon layers build in this novel surrounding the hot button topic of parenting - stigmas in cultural parenting styles (ie anything not white and North American equals wrong), parenting double standards, racism and incarceration, the systematic problem of blanketed standardized punishment/corrections for wide scale infractions, stigmas of mental health, medication, and suicide. I mean, this novel goes for it.
But, on that other hand, would I ever want to read this again? Would I ever recommend this to a friend? No and not likely. Because this novel is going to make you so damn angry on every damn page and for that damn reason it is so damn hard to finish. Readers are going to be split down the middle as to where your sympathies lie for our main character regarding the events surrounding her “bad day” and whether it is in fact a forgivable offence. It’s the whole crux of the storyline … is leaving an 18-month-old alone for over two hours okay? Is that maybe the point? Jessamine is instantly making you judge in a novel that explores how much we judge mothers …?
It’s a dozy of a novel, one I can’t stop thinking about, one that has stirred up a whole gauntlet of emotions, which is typically my benchmark for a good novel. But I hated reading it at the same time? If you’re ready for some literary self masochism, buckle up.