A review by menacebibliotheque
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was very hard to get through, and I mean that in the best way, if you'll bear with me. I went into the book thinking it was a fun little dystopian sci-fi story, and it was absolutely not that at all. What this book is is a commentary on the trials of parenthood--particularly motherhood--as well as the deep flaws in the child welfare system in the United States. The dystopian horrors that the main character and her fellows are subjected to are frighteningly plausible, and it's in this plausibility and the rawness of events that make this book so hard to stomach while also being deeply moving.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Child abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Xenophobia, Mental illness, Racism, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Medical content