The Mothers Book Review

After reading The Vanishing Half in January, I just knew I had to read Britt Bennett’s debut book, The Mothers.

The Mothers follows Nadia, a seventeen-year-old girl who is mourning her mother’s recent death and her lover Luke, the local pastor’s twenty-one-year-old son. After a playful teen romance leads to the biggest cover up in town, Nadia and Luke can’t help but bring everyone into their crossfire including Nadia’s best friend Aubrey. This coming-of-age novel reminds us that the truth can’t be hidden forever.

My favorite character in this book was Aubrey. She was so sweet and selfless. She literally brought the best out of Nadia and Luke. It’s always the most generous people who get the short end of the stick. I was attracted to Nadia’s character in the book as well because she was so relatable. Like Nadia, I thought running away from my past would make it disappear, but I learned that trauma follows you everywhere you go until you face it. My least favorite character was Luke. He just reminded me of a young boy who never grew up and always blamed others for his mistakes.

This novel also made me realize that teenagers aren’t being taught enough about sex nowadays. The conversation slowly shifted from teaching our children to practice abstinence to teaching our children to practice safe sex. Teenagers don’t have to be taught to wait until marriage to have sex (unless that is your preference) but they do need to be taught the ins and outs of reproduction. Sex is all fun and games until you have children with a stranger.

Overall, I highly recommend The Mothers. Brit is an amazing storyteller who captivates you with real world issues from the very beginning. I love that Brit discussed the aftermath and effects of abortions because I don’t think it’s talked about enough. I definitely enjoyed Brit's writing in both The Vanishing Half and The Mothers. Her growth is amazing!

Lastly, if there’s one thing you can count on Brit to do, it is leaving you yearning for more. I have so many unanswered questions, yet again. I’m starting to believe she does this on purpose!

Favorite Quote

“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. ”