Episode 7: Motherhood
Summary: Holly and Devin dive into books about mothers, what they go through, and how authors portray them. While some tropes about motherhood can be worn out and uninteresting, they both agreed that a fresh and nuanced perspective on mothers can bring a lot of richness to any book.
Topics Discussed:
The Heart (1:36): Devin discussed Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen. A financially strapped professional photographer Rebecca Winters finds herself leaving Manhattan for rural New York in an effort to save money. Once there, she not only uncovers a new community but a new perspective on herself, her family, and her future. Her key takeaways were:
While set up as so many Hallmark movies are, with the Big City Woman going to find a Small Town Fella, Quindlen’s empathy and creativity around each character adds a depth that creates profundity while the reader also gets to enjoy the coffee shop banter and peacefulness quintessential to daytime TV rom coms.
While our protagonist is a mother herself, a key exploration of the theme came in her art; Rebecca initially became famous for a series of photographs from domestic life and the messiness therein for mothers, as well as photos of her infant son.
The 3 generations of family portrayed by the Winters clan (Rebecca’s mother, Rebecca, and Rebecca’s son) gives a nuanced and important portrayal of parenthood, trauma, and the past’s impact on present-day choices.
The Dagger (20:29): Holly discussed The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. Our protagonist Frida is struggling through a divorce with a one year-old little girl to take care of. One bad choice brings her in front of Child Protective Services, and lands her at the School for Good Mothers, where she must prove that she is capable again of having custody of her daughter, Harriett. Holly’s key takeaways were:
Chan works to expose society’s lack of support for mothers, racism, and unhealthy expectations for parents via an extreme scenario: forcing those who have made mistakes into a cruel rehabilitation program.
This dystopian novel is close enough to reality that the added layers at the School of Good Mothers are especially disturbing and impactful. There is an unexpected sci-fi element and the novel called to mind others like The Push and Klara and the Sun.
This book will give the reader even more empathy for mothers and to critically analyze their own biases and judgements of parents, motherhood, and portrayals on social media.
Hot On the Shelf (41:38):
What’s Making Our Hearts Race(45:01):
Holly: Inventing Anna on Netflix
Devin: Turning Red on Disney+
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