annakamp28 's review for:

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

4.0

---

I love Meryl Streeps narration of this book. Reminding me of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, this novel follows the vivid life of a mother in a multifaceted manner. She is more than a mom and yet that’s all she seems to return to. It comes naturally to her as she shares the many stories of her youth with her daughters under the shade of their family orchard. Her daughters are the ones to remind her of her life before they were born, before she became a mother. I believe this reminder of personhood and sense of independence is important to remember while navigating motherhood. I enjoy reading books that show or encourage this practice of self reflection and discovery in mothers. Specifically because mothers are often given the label that will confine them to the heat of the kitchen sink, chill of the grocery stores, stickiness of the baby’s skin and the aptitude to listen to men in their lives. When a character breaks out of this confinement and follows their singular path once again it is refreshing. They allow themselves to walk alone for a little. I think that’s one of gifts mothers can give back to themselves. This book did a wonderful job carrying a story within a story highlighting the personhood of a brilliant talented mother, as she was and as she is.