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A review by thebooklifeof_hannah
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
feminist dystopian novel is a corker of a debut. A more reserved dystopian than the likes of The Power/The Grace Year but that reservation gives it a sense of reality. Think more Adèle by Leïla Slimani with a sprinkling of Stepford Wives and a slight touch of Handmaids Tale.
Chan gives us a messy protagonist who isn’t always easy to like. An imperfect mother juggling a career, a baby and a divorce. A woman with mental illness under pressure who cracks and ends up the subject of a nanny state experiment. She could be any one of us, really.
Whilst Frida is a complex and messy character, Emmanuelle BROKE my heart. The elements of AI gave me pause for reflection for the place advanced AI has in our society and what rights and protections they might need in return. An interesting concept that I’d like to read more of!
Most terrifying was reading the archaic one size fits all approach to mothering here that you would only expect to find in an dystopian world. Looking to the recent anti-trans policies in Texas had this feeling a little too close to a prediction rather than pretend.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I’m stunned it’s a debut and can’t wait to read future work from Chan.
Chan gives us a messy protagonist who isn’t always easy to like. An imperfect mother juggling a career, a baby and a divorce. A woman with mental illness under pressure who cracks and ends up the subject of a nanny state experiment. She could be any one of us, really.
Whilst Frida is a complex and messy character, Emmanuelle BROKE my heart. The elements of AI gave me pause for reflection for the place advanced AI has in our society and what rights and protections they might need in return. An interesting concept that I’d like to read more of!
Most terrifying was reading the archaic one size fits all approach to mothering here that you would only expect to find in an dystopian world. Looking to the recent anti-trans policies in Texas had this feeling a little too close to a prediction rather than pretend.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I’m stunned it’s a debut and can’t wait to read future work from Chan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Eating disorder