One of my colleagues at work gave me this one because she thought I might like it. And you know what? I kind of did. I found it quite disturbing in many ways, but it has certainly stuck with me, so I guess that's a good thing.
The main character is Frida, a recently divorced woman whose life really isn't going the way she, or her Chinese immigrant parents hoped. She has a boring job that she does purely for the flexibility it offers during the weeks she has custody of her daughter. Her husband has hooked up with a gorgeous, wellness-spouting woman who her daughter is growing closer to every day. The only thing that gives her any joy is spending time with little Harriet, her daughter and the focus of her life.
Yet, as any overworked, underslept single mother knows, even those angelic children we adore can become overwhelming at times.
In a single moment of bad judgement, Frida leaves he daughter home alone while she pops by the office to pick up something she needs. The baby's asleep and she'll only be a few minutes after all. But she ends up going to pick a coffee on the way home, and the unexpected freedom leads her to stay away far longer than she intended.
In this near-future, parents like Frida are under scrutiny and when a neighbor hears the baby crying, she reports it to the authorities. Suddenly Frida's entire life is under the microscope, her every move watched and analysed by officials who can and will decide if she is fit to be a mother to her child.
To prove she can be a good enough mother, Frida commits to spending a year at an institution where she will have to pass a series of tests in order to regain the right to be a mother to her child.
As a mother myself, I found this book quite terrifying. The idea of being separated from my kid at such a young age and to be forced to watch her bond with my ex and his new woman in the occasional phone call allowed by the institution filled me with dread. The school's tool for helping women become better is a weird robot doll and those creeped me out too.
Overall, it was a very effective book, even if the ending did leave me feeling rather disappointed.
I won't say anything more... But I do recommend this one.
But don't just listen to me; here's the blurb:
In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.
Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. What’s worse is she can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she’s just enough.
Until Frida has a horrible day.
The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida — ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words, mothers who only have one lapse of judgement. Now, a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers — that she can learn to be good.
This propulsive, witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect” upper-middle-class parenting, the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other, and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter.
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