The Mother Gene

by Lynne Bryant

Dr. Miriam Stewart works tirelessly to help Appalachian women gain control over their bodies—to make a deliberate decision whether to be a mother. Bone-weary, but with a nagging fear of the obsolescence of retirement, Miriam is sandwiched between two frustratingly independent women; neither will listen to her advice. Her aging mother, Lillian, a locally beloved, retired mountain midwife, refuses to leave her farmhouse nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Olivia, her thirty-year-old daughter, searches for the perfect sperm donor for the baby she’s determined to have.
When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity promises her work legacy will continue, Miriam’s passion is renewed. But her carefully ordered world explodes when the fulfillment of her dream collides with her mother’s long-kept secrets. Secrets that undermine the very foundation of Miriam’s beliefs about who she is, her career, and especially, what it means to mother. Miriam is faced with an impossible choice.
In The Mother Gene, Lynne Bryant casts a contemporary story of mothers and daughters against the backdrop of a not-so-distant dark time in American history, when powerful forces sought to control who should have children. Three generations of women struggle with the intertwined choices of sex, love, pregnancy, and motherhood.

Genres: Historical Fiction

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2023

About the author

Lynne Bryant’s forty-plus years as a nurse and nursing academic have prepared her well for creating intimate human stories featuring the unheard voices of ordinary women. Lynne is the author of two previous novels: Catfish Alley and Alligator Lake. She and her wife share a home with their three dogs—and occasionally their three children—in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where she attempts to grow flowers that deer don’t like and writes novels featuring delightfully flawed women in all their complexities. Find Lynne online at www.lynnebryant.com.

Follow Lynne on Instagram.com/lynnebryantauthor or Facebook.com/authorlynnebryant/

Reviews

[CarolG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Miriam Stewart is on the verge of retiring from her ob-gyn practice and has dreams of creating a contraceptive choice centre for women in the Charlottesville Virginia area. Miriam's mother Lillian is a retired mountain midwife and Olivia, her thirty-year-old daughter is determined to have a baby with her partner Amy. Three generations of women who struggle with the choices of sex, love, pregnancy and motherhood.

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway and reading it was an enjoyable and educational experience. The story is told from the viewpoints of Miriam, Lillian and Olivia and bounces back and forth between 1938 and 2010 and years in between. It's very well written with nice short chapters and very likeable characters for the most part. Everyone should have a Walt and Dennis, Miriam's neighbours and long-time friends, for support. I learned so much (supplemented by Google) about the Virginia Sterlization Act of 1924 which really shocked me, especially the fact that it was still going on until about 1988. I fervently hope we never see eugenics rear its ugly head again. I thought the ending of this book was just perfect. Highly recommended as long as you're not affected by the trigger warnings.

TW: Miscarriage. I have to thank a GR friend for making me aware of how upsetting this can be to some people. I was in tears. Also enforced sterilization.

My favourite quote from this book: "Mothering is messy. No formula for how to do it, who should do it. No guarantee of what the outcome would be."

Thank you to Goodreads and to the author, Lynne Bryant, for the much-appreciated signed copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Published: March 8, 2023

[Mare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderfully told story by Lynne Bryant. I’ve read all three of her books and recommend them all. This covers three generations of women, and explores the blood family vs chosen family theme, with a secret that is revealed— a consequence — as a result of a shameful part of our country's past.

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotionally complex novel that follows three generations of women through their journeys of motherhood.

It was a perfect blend of contemporary and historical fiction.

[Maggie Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway

A great story that explores motherhood for three generations of women. The book explores a painful history of women in Appalachia. The messaging was a little heavy-handed and I found too much time was spent on building up to the "twist" which I had predicted very early on. I enjoyed reading it and especially liked how much of a role the setting played in the story.

[Dorothy Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reproductive rights, accessible health care, strong characters & page-turning suspense . . .

The Mother Gene by Lynne Bryant is a novel set in Charlotteville, Virginia, during one week in 2010, with significant leaps back in time to provide necessary backstory. The novel’s colorful cover (profiles of women and the familiar DNA helix) and the blurbs and cover copy prepared me to expect a story of women’s strength and hard choices surrounding maternity and reproductive rights. It didn’t prepare for an equally engrossing and tightly paced family mystery.

Three generations of strong-willed women form the core of The Mother Gene: Dr. Miriam Stewart, on the verge of retirement after a hard-fought, fulfilling career helping Appalachian women gain control over their bodies; her daughter Olivia, whom Dr. Stewart raised as a single mother and is now herself hoping to begin a family with wife Amy; and Miriam’s mother, Lillian, every bit as powerful a force in the community as her daughter, whom Miriam would now like to move safely out of lifetime home Hazel Hollow so she can keep a closer eye on her aging mother.

The three women clutch their secrets until they can’t, press their positions until they realize the futility of stubbornness, and ultimately realize that they need one another, not as crutches or baggage, not because of any flaws or weaknesses, but because they are family. Fully realized secondary characters—including Miriam’s neighbors, gay couple Dennis and Walt, who played a major role in helping Miriam raise Olivia on her own—add to the strong sense of the importance of community and family established throughout The Mother Gene.

The point of view shifts between the three women, providing the reader a lens on each of their stories such that by the end, their stories twine like the strands of the DNA helix, with a focus on their varying paths to career and motherhood. I won’t reveal more of the plot, so as not to spoil the suspense.

When a fellow doctor is part of a study that requires DNA analysis, Miriam agrees to participate. In this excerpt, she’s talking to her friend, colleague, and neighbor Dennis about it:

As she poured a cup of coffee for each of them she said, “I just always wished there was a blood test, you know?” She handed the mug to Dennis.

Dennis frowned. “A blood test for what?” He took the coffee and dumped in two packets of sugar. Always two. Unless he hadn’t slept much the night before. Then it was three or four.

Miriam stared out her office window. Students lounged in clumps in the spring-green grass. “I think I’d call it the Mother Gene,” she murmured.

Dennis stopped stirring and dropped into the side chair, setting his untouched coffee on the edge of her desk. “Good Lord, Miriam. Have you lost your mind?”

She turned and met his wide, incredulous eyes. Had she said that out loud? Stuffing the defensive feeling, she rallied. “Wait. Let me finish. I think this is a good idea.”

Their discussion continues, with Dennis providing plenty of reasons why identifying such a gene might prove unethical, and ultimately concluding, “Things don’t work out well when we try to control who has children.”

The reader understands that Miriam’s interest in the question is really a personal one. She wonders if she has the Mother Gene. She doubts she’s been the best mother for her daughter; and in that, she likely shares doubts and fears most mothers have experienced.

I recommend for readers who care about women’s issues, reproductive rights, and affordable, accessible health care for underserved women. Beyond the issues, I recommend as a well-written, absorbing novel with relatable characters and a page-turning mystery.

This review was written for The Story Circle Network

[JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough book, but a tad too fluffy & chick-lit-y treatment for my taste for what can be a heavy subject.

I've just deleted some knit-picking, but I must mention a pet peeve that is not limited to just this book: Many characters in books harbor secrets of one kind or another, but please don't use the omniscient third person, where the reader is privy to a character's innermost thoughts, then have that character look at a piece of paper that reveals something shocking, and the reader is suddenly shunted to join the rest of the characters in the clueless zone in order to build suspense. And worse, don't shift the time and place and character to keep me guessing. That is when I feel manipulated by the author, but not in a good way. If you want to keep your readers guessing, consider a different point of view that will allow for such caginess. As other reviewers here have commented, I figured out the secrets long before the author decided to share them, which then makes the suspense the author tried to build gratuitous.

For the most part, this is an easy and enjoyable read with likable characters and good examples of extended intergenerational families of choice with lots of love. For people who are not particularly grossed out by medicine and childbirth and who haven't recently suffered a miscarriage, this might be a decent beach read. And for people like me, who have hated since childhood being pigeonholed in pink and blue boxes: there is some color-coding of babies still going on here!

The character Miriam has spent her entire career as an obstetrician/gynecologist in rural Appalachian Virginia. She would of course know what eugenics is and certainly knows how to pronounce it. She would not stumble on the word when Dennis brings it up. She most probably ran across eugenic attitudes, especially if she had been fundraising to support her rural clinics. To this day, you can find people willing to support family planning for the wrong reasons who might from time to time reveal their motivation is to keep "those people" from reproducing. Sad but true. Let's not pretend otherwise and present Miriam as blissfully unaware. She can still remain unaware of how such attitudes may have touched her own family.


#Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to Atmosphere Press and the author for an advance reading copy.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intergenerational story, simply yet strikingly woven, The Mother Gene by Lynne Bryant tells the story of three generations of Stewart women and how they’ve lived their lives, the choices they’ve made, and the ways in which they’ve become mothers. The story is set in a span of five days in the summer of 2010, from gynecologist Dr. Miriam Stewart’s last day of work to the evening of her being awarded a five-million-dollar grant. The five days see Miriam’s different selves that she works to keep separate come clashing together—doctor, mother, daughter, friend, and lover.

The series of incidents that are effortlessly strung together without seeming contrived remind the reader that life is characterized by an all-togetherness; rarely, if ever, do events happen sequentially; instead, they happen all at once. Miriam and her daughter Olivia discover more about their mother and grandmother, Lillian, a strong, quiet woman who lives in the mountains of Virginia by herself. The story is told via flashbacks and memories, neatly compiled, and the segues in time are easy to follow. Hints of a dark past are so subtle as to have the reader second-guessing what they think the story is about. Bryant’s drawing of a family is not necessarily blood relations, but as ever-present persons, in whatever shape or size, although an overt theme, is done with skill. The book’s strongest point is the quiet acceptance of different choices, lives, and loves without judgment.

The Mother Gene by Lynne is a well-written, gripping, and intense story with well-developed characters and a strong storyline. The narrative is well-researched and well-told, and most importantly, the narration makes it impossible for the reader to not empathize with the characters and their lifestyles.

[Tissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cover: Not wild about the color palette, but the silhouettes are lovely!

Wow. The Mother Gene blew me away, and it’s safe to say I wasn’t expecting it.

The plot it is simple yet enticing: I found myself absorbed in the world Bryant’s created, especially the historical aspects. Eugenics is a dark subject, one that’s often mentioned in different contexts; the WWII and pre-war years saw a rise of eugenics as pseudoscience in Europe, but I seldom read a book about it set in America. This alone deserves a star.

The three protagonists—Miriam, Lillian, Olivia—have distinct personalities. I liked Lillian the most, probably because of her character’s growth and inner strength. Miriam comes off as a prickly woman, and I’m not sure I always like her behavior towards her mother. Still, she’s a well-rounded character and strong enough to carry (and be the fulcrum of) the plot.

Olivia is maybe the one who reads as a weaker character when compared to the others. Maybe she would have been better off as a supportive/secondary character rather than one of the main POVs, but I’m pretty sure this is more a personal preference rather than an objective flaw.

Speaking of flaws, well. There are none? Not really? The beginning is a bit heavy, maybe, especially with the descriptions, but soon enough the prose and the rhythm start flowing just like *chef kiss*

Last but not least, the supporting cast is a delight! Dennis and Walt are the perfect epitome of how secondary characters should be written.

Well done.

4.5 stars on GR, rounded up to 5.

[Nancy Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This book is the story of three generations of Stewart women. Lillian spent much of her life as a midwife in the Appalachians. Her daughter, Miriam, is retiring after years of work as an OB-GYN with a passion for helping mountain women realize they have choices about motherhood. Olivia, Miriam's gay daughter, and her partner have decided they want a child and are looking for a sperm donor. The book focuses on the meaning of motherhood and brings up the possibility of the existence of a "mother gene" which would better equip a woman to take on the role of being a mother - and might also explain why some women seem to shy away from that role. Much of the book is told in flashbacks to important events in each woman's life, many of which have been held tightly as secrets for various reasons. Although I predicted early in the book what these secrets were, I was drawn in by the excellent character development and descriptions of place and time. The historical facts behind the storyline are ones that should impact all of us. Highly recommended!

[Chandler Myer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fantastic book! Lynne Bryant has created three main characters with such depth and humanity that I connected with them from the onset. The book takes us through painful histories that challenge what each believes about herself with unvarnished realism. I learned another layer of sordid American history along the way.

I can imagine women connecting with this book, especially those who are mothers. As a gay man, I don't have a shared experience of motherhood, but I found the characters and story compelling. It was a highly satisfying read; I recommend it without hesitation.

[Jennifer Bourland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne Bryant takes the reader on a thought-provoking and seamlessly woven journey through generations. The Mother Gene offers a glimpse into the lives of three captivating women as they explore the intense joys and heartbreaking pains of Motherhood, each in their own unique way, yet experience a shared connection of love. The enchanting characters that capture your heart, along with the delivery of page turning suspense deposited brilliantly on the page, creates a compelling story to the very end.

[Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

A harrowing tale of 4 generations of strong women! I pieced it together about 30% of the way through, but it was still so good getting the details. I laughed and cried and even cursed at the book, which is how I know it’s really good.

[Dee wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting! Better than I thought it would be……although it was quit predictable. My background is in social work/adoption so I found this book quite interesting.