Frida is a relatively new mother and she is barely keeping it together. She is exhausted to the point of delirium and is finding it impossible to juggle work and parenting, particularly as her husband has left her for another woman. In a moment of frustration and desperation, Friday makes a less-than-ideal parenting choice. But in the near future dystopia, that’s not ok. The government has eyes on mothers and does not accept anything less than perfection. Check your phone and allow your kid to fall from the monkey bars or leave your child alone for a moment, like Frida, and they will intervene. Frida is moved to a facility where she will learn how to be a proper mother. But the cards are stacked against her and redemption – and reunion with her daughter – feels impossible.
This book GUTTED me. It is a warning of boundaries that are perilously close to being crossed, a reminder of the unrealistic standards that have been set by our society, and the additional systemic challenges faced by mothers who are not wealthy and white. It is also a measure of a mother’s love while asking if that’s something we should be quantifying in the first place. As a mother to a toddler, this was incredibly difficult to read – consider yourself warned.
5 out of 5 stars.
Pair with: Water with a kit of lemon
Peaches to Apples 