At a Glance
Author: Brit Bennet
Published:Â May 19, 2020 by Berkley
Page:Â 384
Genre:Â Fiction
Goodreads Rating:Â 3.79 out of 5
My Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis
Lets Read Rant Repeat Book Club Pick
Bookstagram is such a wonderful community and I have met quite a few folks that I now consider to be friends. One of these is Jordan from @readwithwine and together we host a Virtual Book Club @letsreadrantrepeat. Our aim is to read a variety of genres, constantly switching it up to ensure we are reading something everyone will enjoy. Each month we choose 1 book that can be practically any type of story. We host a group chat with fellow book lovers on Instagram, where we can talk about the book as we read. At the end of the month (a specified Sunday at 7pm CST) Jordan and I get together for wine & an Instagram Live discussion. We generally invite guests from our group chat to share their thoughts on the book as well!
Our June Book Club Discussion is being held Sunday July 19 at 7pm CST. Head to our Instagram @letsreadrantrepeat to join in the discussion.
My Thoughts
Brit Bennett does it again. Or I guess she initially did it since this book technically came out before The Vanishing Half? Regardless Bennett is my new favorite author and is also now an auto-buy author for me. I honestly can’t believe that this was her debut novel, it was so well written.
Let’s start with the character development. There are four main characters and they alternate narrating the story. The seamless transition between all of the narrators is beautiful and while each has a defined voice, it’s not confusing to follow who’s speaking. Our POVs are Nadia, Aubrey, Luke, and The Mothers. The Mothers are the most interesting voice, as they’re a collection of thoughts, comments, and advice from the elder women of The Upper Room Church. Think of them as a Greek Chorus of sorts. They’re gossipy but also add an outside view into the triangle of our other main characters. I think that The Mothers POV really adds an extra layer to the story, which in turn makes it really stand out.
As mentioned Bennett does a great job of defining each of our main characters and giving them a specific voice. I found myself on a roller coaster of emotions with these characters, as their constant evolution really made me question who was ‘good’ and who was ‘bad’. I’m pretty sure I changed my mind multiple times for each character which is unique for me.
Past the character development, the prose is lyrical and while this book deals with some hard topics, it’s a fast read. Bennett does a fabulous job of tackling the topics of pro-life vs pro-choice, sexual assault, suicide, infidelity, and grief. This is a book that truly asks the question ‘what if…’. I highly recommend this book or her newest book The Vanishing Half (which you can see my full review for that HERE!). While I’m not normally a huge fan of character driven novels, this one hits differently, and the story flows so well that it is hard to put down.
This book is out now, get it  HERE!
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on The Mothers. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.Â
About the Author
Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work is featured in the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. The Mothers is her first novel.
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