(no subject)

[seekingferret]

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Yeah, I dunno, this is one of those really good books that I am hesitant to recommend anyone read because it is so harrowing.

I had thought from a radio interview with the author and the title and blurb that the book would be Orwellian, but it reminded me more of Beckett, in that yes, it's absolutely about a plausibly horrible government bureaucracy committing human rights abuses while pretending to be just safeguarding society, but also the parents who get caught up in the bureaucracy and sent to the titular school are genuinely horrible too. It's fascinating and a really good lens into how we think about parenthood and what makes a good mother, and whether those expectations are fair. Also, Chan is really, really good at digging into the racial and cultural dynamics of that question. But yikes, this book is a really tough read.

Comments

[morbane]

Well - I bought and read this after your post, and found it really compelling, so thank you!

[seekingferret]

I'm glad you appreciated it, thanks for letting me know! Compelling is a good word for it. I knew I was going to find it upsetting and yet I kept reading...