Scan barcode
A review by maevebm
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The School for Good Mothers is terrifyingly realistic. Parenting is complex and depends on so many factors, yet it is easy for others to judge and for those judgements to cause further trauma and harm.
Chan has the foresight to see where our culture, one of an over-consumption of media and lack of public resources, is leading. She also naturally included so many other themes and issues, like interracial relationships, racism, divorce, intergenerational trauma, poverty, and single-parenting, that added to the story’s progression and depth.
I found myself angry with the situation and hoping for compassion to prevail.
Chan has the foresight to see where our culture, one of an over-consumption of media and lack of public resources, is leading. She also naturally included so many other themes and issues, like interracial relationships, racism, divorce, intergenerational trauma, poverty, and single-parenting, that added to the story’s progression and depth.
I found myself angry with the situation and hoping for compassion to prevail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Gaslighting