The School for Good Mothers: A Novel

ISBN: 1982156139

Author: Chan, Jessamine

Condition: New

Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Selected as One of Barack Obamas Favorite Books of the Year!In this New York Times bestseller and Today show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a dystopian government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance, in this surreal (People), remarkable (Vogue), and infuriatingly timely (The New York Times Book Review) debut literary fiction novel.Frida Liu, a hardworking Chinese American mother, is pushed to the edge. She doesnt live up to the expectations set by her immigrant parents or her wellness-obsessed husband. Only with Harriet-cherubic and beloved-does she find a measure of fulfillmentuntil she has a very bad day.In this close-to-future dystopia, the state targets mothers like Frida: mothers who check their phones, let their children walk home alone, or make one parenting error. Because of one mistake, Frida is sent to a government-run institution-a Big Brother-style reform school for good mothers, where every move is monitored, and even her love is judged.For custody to be returned, she must prove that a flawed mother can be redeemed and learn to be good. Filled with dark wit and emotional urgency, The School for Good Mothers is an intense, captivating novel that scrutinizes upper-middle-class parenting, systemic surveillance of women, and the violence exacted by both the state and one another. It offers a transgressive exploration of motherhood, resilience, guilt, and the force of love.Using spare, compelling prose, Jessamine Chan crafts an unforgettable, modern classic that resonates with readers of The Handmaids Tale and 1984, while centering a richly drawn woman navigating class, race, and motherhood under the gaze of an unyielding system.