Scan barcode
A review by bhargavir
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
4.0
The School for Good Mothers was something I picked up to immerse myself in a new world opposite from much of what I had been reading previously. I had never read dystopia by an Asian author before, and if The School for Good Mothers is what Asian dystopian is like, I definitely need to pick up more.
The whole premise The School for Good Mothers centers on motherhood—after Frida endangers her daughter, she must prove that she can become a good mother, that she can be redeemed. By emphasizing the state of motherhood and what is required of parents regularly, Jessamine Chan takes an insightful, compelling glance at the very notion of parenthood itself, and the intersectionality of womanhood and wealth as well.
Motherhood is not an equitable experience shared by all women who have children, and Chan takes careful note of this. Frida, who is Chinese-American, has a markedly different experience with motherhood than the Black, Latinx, and white mothers she is placed in the program with. Poverty and sexuality also inform Chan's portrayal of motherhood and the "sins" a woman can achieve.
Initially the novel reads rather Dickensian in nature, and seems more like a glimpse into Frida's mental struggle and troubles with motherhood and marriage. I initially questioned how it was a dystopia, as everything about the world seemed almost analogous to my own. However, as soon as Frida was assigned to the institute, the tone of the novel changed rapidly (but not so it was off-putting), becoming much more disturbing and dark in nature. The latter two-thirds of the novel is much more serious and cerebral in nature, Chan writing Frida's experience with this spectator tone that allows us to observe everything that is happening.
Through Frida's lessons and experiences at the institute, Chan takes a searing look at what is expected of mothers in today's society; the sacrifices, expectations, and ideas of what motherhood can and should be. Through these exaggerated portrayals of womanhood and maternal attitudes, Chan exposes how ridiculous many of them are, while simultaneously highlighting the realism of actual motherhood. It becomes more and more apparent what is being asked of the mothers at the school is ridiculous, and there were numerous times during the novel I felt myself getting frustrated with the rhetoric that was being spewed at this mothers.
Frida is not a particularly unique character—which is precisely what makes her so compelling in this case. She feels like a realistic woman and mother—one who makes mistakes and who is struggling with motherhood. She is an everywoman—and yet pieces of her background and experience feel so relevant and unique to her they remain compelling. Chan's choice to position Frida as a regular woman and mother lends greatly to the story telling, as the reader often has to debate who is truly at fault here—Frida, or the system? The answer is not as easy as it seems.
In conclusion, The School for Good Mothers was a thought-provoking, analytical, and enjoyable look at motherhood and how we, as a society, treat mothers. It made me consider what motherhood requires, and what it is really like, while setting it in a world all too easy to imagine.
The whole premise The School for Good Mothers centers on motherhood—after Frida endangers her daughter, she must prove that she can become a good mother, that she can be redeemed. By emphasizing the state of motherhood and what is required of parents regularly, Jessamine Chan takes an insightful, compelling glance at the very notion of parenthood itself, and the intersectionality of womanhood and wealth as well.
Motherhood is not an equitable experience shared by all women who have children, and Chan takes careful note of this. Frida, who is Chinese-American, has a markedly different experience with motherhood than the Black, Latinx, and white mothers she is placed in the program with. Poverty and sexuality also inform Chan's portrayal of motherhood and the "sins" a woman can achieve.
Initially the novel reads rather Dickensian in nature, and seems more like a glimpse into Frida's mental struggle and troubles with motherhood and marriage. I initially questioned how it was a dystopia, as everything about the world seemed almost analogous to my own. However, as soon as Frida was assigned to the institute, the tone of the novel changed rapidly (but not so it was off-putting), becoming much more disturbing and dark in nature. The latter two-thirds of the novel is much more serious and cerebral in nature, Chan writing Frida's experience with this spectator tone that allows us to observe everything that is happening.
Through Frida's lessons and experiences at the institute, Chan takes a searing look at what is expected of mothers in today's society; the sacrifices, expectations, and ideas of what motherhood can and should be. Through these exaggerated portrayals of womanhood and maternal attitudes, Chan exposes how ridiculous many of them are, while simultaneously highlighting the realism of actual motherhood. It becomes more and more apparent what is being asked of the mothers at the school is ridiculous, and there were numerous times during the novel I felt myself getting frustrated with the rhetoric that was being spewed at this mothers.
Frida is not a particularly unique character—which is precisely what makes her so compelling in this case. She feels like a realistic woman and mother—one who makes mistakes and who is struggling with motherhood. She is an everywoman—and yet pieces of her background and experience feel so relevant and unique to her they remain compelling. Chan's choice to position Frida as a regular woman and mother lends greatly to the story telling, as the reader often has to debate who is truly at fault here—Frida, or the system? The answer is not as easy as it seems.
In conclusion, The School for Good Mothers was a thought-provoking, analytical, and enjoyable look at motherhood and how we, as a society, treat mothers. It made me consider what motherhood requires, and what it is really like, while setting it in a world all too easy to imagine.