February 22, 2018

The Mothers



The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Fiction
2016 Riverhead Books
Finished on April 15, 2017
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.

"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

I loved all the Southern California references, especially since I used to live near many of the locations mentioned. The writing is very good and I was surprised to learn that not only is it the author's first novel, but also that she is only in her 20s. She is one to watch for!

Note: I wrote the above when I first finished the book back in April 2017. This is a perfect example of a book that impressed me when I read it, but left no lasting impression after almost a year's passage. I'm sure our move and related distractions are mostly to blame for my lack of recollection of what I considered a very good read.

11 comments:

  1. There are very few books that stick with me that well over time. I think it's the distracted lifestyle plus the volume of books read that does it for me. This book sounds like one I'd like.

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    1. Excellent point, Kathy. I thought my memory was getting worse as I got older, but I can see that by this point in my life I've read literally thousands of books. How could I possibly remember even a few hundred?

      Yup - I'm going with that. I like it much better than 'I'm developing dementia'. ;-)

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    2. Kathy & Debbie - I find that I remember little scenes and situations from books, but not the overall plot, and with some thrillers and mysteries I find I'm not really certain of the actual ending! I think it's a combination of reading a lot of books, watching a lot of tv series, getting bogged down with social media and day-to-day distractions.

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  2. Sounds like one I'd like too. That being said, I agree with Kathy. I seem to remember less and less these days about books I've read. I remember I've read them, but it's the details. It's why I've starting noting both first sentence and last sentence of a book in my notebook. Sometimes that last sentence makes me say 'Oh, yes!'. LOL

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    1. Kay - Oh, those pesky details. That's why we blog, right? To keep track of what we've read for future reference? If that's the case, I need to start writing my book posts right after I finish rather than 6 months later! ;) I like the idea of noting the last sentence and may start doing that, too.

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  3. This is such a striking cover and glad to hear that the story is a good one. Another one to add to my list!

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    1. Iliana - The cover certainly caught my eye when I spotted it on the bookstore shelf! Enjoy!

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  4. I seldom get to reading new releases as I'm always finding vintage or just back-list books to pick up. At then end of 2017, I chose half a dozen books for 2018 reading that I had seen many rave reviews about, and that looked like they would interest me. The Mothers made that shortlist.

    I'm still counting on a good read, and hoping it's distraction (& volume!) that accounts for your nor remembering this. :-)

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    1. Debbie - I hope you enjoy this novel, if and when you get to reading it.

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  5. I see this one is being made into a movie.

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    1. Oh, thanks for telling me Lisa! I think it would make a good film!

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