THE MOTHERS

by Brit Bennett

Previously mentioned as a must-read by my mom in her review of Bennett’s The Vanishing Half (read review here), I am here to chime in with an enthusiastic full review of this engrossing and heart-wrenching book. Set in southern California, Bennett uses the older women of a local church, “the mothers,” as a kind of Greek chorus to narrate throughout the story and tease out the secrets that are slowly revealed.

The story follows Nadia, a high school senior, who recently lost her mother to suicide and is looking for comfort by dating the pastor’s slightly older son. They end up getting pregnant and must deal with the consequences both with his parents who are the leaders of their community, and Nadia’s grief-stricken father. Every choice they make from that moment into adulthood seems to drag them right back to those first decisions.

Although the story includes coming-of-age aspects, it is much more complex than that. The Mothers will cause every reader to reflect on their own choices, no matter what phase of life in which they find themselves. I highly recommend this book both for its absorbing story and beautiful portrait of the struggles of finding love and building a family. (Lily)