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Mass Mothering
Not yet published
Expected 3 Feb 26A haunting, indelible novel of collective grief, resistance, and the radical, life-affirming virtue of testimony
A. is an amateur translator, living alone in an unforgiving, late-capitalist metropolis. Adrift and burdened by debt following a medical trauma, she makes rent caring for a young boy who is not and could never be her own. Her nights are spent on the dance floor, chasing spontaneous connection. There, she encounters N., who shares her numbed state and sometimes her bed.
Among N.’s meager possessions, A. comes across a slim book about an unnamed foreign town of disappearing boys. The book, Field Notes, documents the stories of a community of mothers who assemble to mourn their missing sons together. A. is transfixed by this collective chorus of primal grief, the mothers’ preternatural strength, and their intuitive care for each other. When a near-assault stuns A. out of her inertia, she takes off for the city where Field Notes was written in search of its author and the end of his story. But A.’s digging leads her instead to the traces of a murdered poet, a mysterious woman whose legacy will intersect unexpectedly and pivotally with A.’s own life.
Poignant and profoundly humane, Mass Mothering is told through layered voices, written fragments, and recorded testimonies. It is a luminous story of the mutuality of grief, the aftershocks of violence in a globalized era, and the world-bending force of a mother’s love.
A. is an amateur translator, living alone in an unforgiving, late-capitalist metropolis. Adrift and burdened by debt following a medical trauma, she makes rent caring for a young boy who is not and could never be her own. Her nights are spent on the dance floor, chasing spontaneous connection. There, she encounters N., who shares her numbed state and sometimes her bed.
Among N.’s meager possessions, A. comes across a slim book about an unnamed foreign town of disappearing boys. The book, Field Notes, documents the stories of a community of mothers who assemble to mourn their missing sons together. A. is transfixed by this collective chorus of primal grief, the mothers’ preternatural strength, and their intuitive care for each other. When a near-assault stuns A. out of her inertia, she takes off for the city where Field Notes was written in search of its author and the end of his story. But A.’s digging leads her instead to the traces of a murdered poet, a mysterious woman whose legacy will intersect unexpectedly and pivotally with A.’s own life.
Poignant and profoundly humane, Mass Mothering is told through layered voices, written fragments, and recorded testimonies. It is a luminous story of the mutuality of grief, the aftershocks of violence in a globalized era, and the world-bending force of a mother’s love.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 3, 2026
11 people are currently reading
7602 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Bruni
3 books53 followersSarah Bruni is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the MFA program at Washington University in St. Louis. She has roots in Chicago, has taught creative writing in St. Louis, volunteered as a writing and English tutor in San Francisco, and Montevideo, Uruguay, and currently lives in Brooklyn. The Night Gwen Stacy Died is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 3, 2025
I read this all in one go, except for a few hours of sleep. I rescheduled a meeting in order to finish it. I got the alert from NetGalley that I had been approved to read it just as I was finishing up another book. I didn't even stop to read the description. I just started reading it, so I didn't know what it was about, or even the genre.
This book was so well written. I have a Keep note where I save quotes from books, movies, humans. I opened it a lot during this reading. I would put one of my favorites here, but I absolutely don't want to give anything away. I would love it if you could jump in, as I did, knowing nothing.
I normally end my reviews by saying "if you like book X, Y, or Z you'll probably like this one. I'm not going to do that here. If you love words, ideas, feelings, this might be the book for you. I don't give these 5 stars lightly, just so you know.
This book was so well written. I have a Keep note where I save quotes from books, movies, humans. I opened it a lot during this reading. I would put one of my favorites here, but I absolutely don't want to give anything away. I would love it if you could jump in, as I did, knowing nothing.
I normally end my reviews by saying "if you like book X, Y, or Z you'll probably like this one. I'm not going to do that here. If you love words, ideas, feelings, this might be the book for you. I don't give these 5 stars lightly, just so you know.
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January 8, 2026Two stories unfold in conversation with one another: a woman named simply A. lives her life in a city in which she didn’t grow up, spends her nights dancing at bars, nannies a rambunctious child, and recovers from an operation that removed her reproductive organs while building a tenuous relationship with a man called N.
Meanwhile, we read excerpts from a book, ‘Field Notes’ by Tomas Petritus, which recounts the mothers of missing children as they congregate and speak out against government violence in N.’s home country. A. discovers this book one night, compelled by the true crime narrative, and eventually sets out to translate the text and uncover the truth behind these mothers’ stories.
What she finds will have her considering what it means to be a mother, the profound effects of grief, and the risk of raising our voice in the face of state violence.
This is a quiet novel about heavy topics. But all of the action happens off the page, and we, along with the narrator, are left to observe from a distance the effects of these impactful moments. We don’t necessarily experience them ourselves, just as with history we can only look back and try to understand what went on, who was affected, and what it all means.
I appreciated this approach; rather than turning this into a violent, plot-driven story about government violence, it shows how powerful people, especially men, can make decisions, often on a whim, that ripple out and touch so many lives, often for the worse. It creates a chorus of voices, of female voices, that echo across time and space to tell a similar story, regardless of borders, background or birthplace.
Meanwhile, we read excerpts from a book, ‘Field Notes’ by Tomas Petritus, which recounts the mothers of missing children as they congregate and speak out against government violence in N.’s home country. A. discovers this book one night, compelled by the true crime narrative, and eventually sets out to translate the text and uncover the truth behind these mothers’ stories.
What she finds will have her considering what it means to be a mother, the profound effects of grief, and the risk of raising our voice in the face of state violence.
This is a quiet novel about heavy topics. But all of the action happens off the page, and we, along with the narrator, are left to observe from a distance the effects of these impactful moments. We don’t necessarily experience them ourselves, just as with history we can only look back and try to understand what went on, who was affected, and what it all means.
I appreciated this approach; rather than turning this into a violent, plot-driven story about government violence, it shows how powerful people, especially men, can make decisions, often on a whim, that ripple out and touch so many lives, often for the worse. It creates a chorus of voices, of female voices, that echo across time and space to tell a similar story, regardless of borders, background or birthplace.
August 18, 2025
3.5 This book is about grief and tyranny. How does the mass disappearance of their children affect the thoughts and actions of their mothers? The book has two major story lines. The chapters labeled Field Notes are Tomas Petritus's story of going to the main city of an unnamed country to interview women whose sons have disappeared. Most of the disappeared appear to be boys who may have been considered political rebels (although some appear too young for that). Then there is A., a young woman who decides to translate the unpublished Field Notes by Petritus, who has since died. A. is a highly educated woman who leaves her job to as a caregiver for a sweet boy who struggles with many aspects of living. A. often goes out dancing with N., who is originally from the country of the disappeared boys. A. finds Field Notes and sets to work. The chapters go back and forth between A.'s story and Field Notes. At times this can become confusing so pay particular attention to the chapter headings!
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks those who helped in her research in Uruguay (Montevideo) and Columbia (Medellin), including the Madres de la Candelaria.
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks those who helped in her research in Uruguay (Montevideo) and Columbia (Medellin), including the Madres de la Candelaria.
January 12, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 ty @henryholt
A woman named A. spends her days as a nanny and her nights on the dance floor. A. discovers a book called “Field Notes” containing the testimonies of mothers whose sons have disappeared, probably due to government violence. A. decides to translate the text and try to uncover what happened to the missing boys. I read this back in November and really enjoyed it, although I am struggling to remember some plot elements two months later.
A woman named A. spends her days as a nanny and her nights on the dance floor. A. discovers a book called “Field Notes” containing the testimonies of mothers whose sons have disappeared, probably due to government violence. A. decides to translate the text and try to uncover what happened to the missing boys. I read this back in November and really enjoyed it, although I am struggling to remember some plot elements two months later.
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January 18, 2026This novel uses an unusually fragmented structure utilizing short chapters consisting of archival material along with translations, field notes and first-person narratives. By creating a prismatic effect, this layered structure amplifies the novel’s core themes: grief, maternal care, collective trauma, and the importance of testimony. Clearly, Bruni’s intention is to encourage her readers to piece together meaning in the mosaic she creates, rather than follow a conventional linear plot. Notwithstanding this interesting intellectual approach, the novel never really engages with the reader. Its constant shifts in voice and reliance on initials rather than fully realized characters make the novel seem abstract instead of intimate.
Bruni’s prose is well controlled and thoughtful, yet the fragmented structure she adopts detracts from that achievement, leaving the reader with the sense of an exercise in investitive journalism rather than a lived narrative. Her goal of recreating the personal experience of mothers of disappeared children under oppressive societies is commendable but falls short because it offers much to contemplate but few characters to care about.
Bruni’s prose is well controlled and thoughtful, yet the fragmented structure she adopts detracts from that achievement, leaving the reader with the sense of an exercise in investitive journalism rather than a lived narrative. Her goal of recreating the personal experience of mothers of disappeared children under oppressive societies is commendable but falls short because it offers much to contemplate but few characters to care about.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
When I started this book, I was riveted. The first Field Notes section introduces us to an unnamed researcher (later revealed as Tomas Petritus) who is interviewing a group of women whose sons have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. The way the narrator writes about the disappearances, the feelings the mothers have of being haunted, their move to this unnamed city, makes it sound like you're about to step into a work of speculative fiction. So A's section of Part I was a massive letdown.
Once I was grounded in reality with an idea of where we were (the narration gestures to South America but it is purposefully obscure; disappearances like this can and have happened anywhere and everywhere), I actually thought Part II was the strongest. We learn what really lies behind the disappearances of these boys, the courage it takes these mothers to never stop reminding people that their sons died and what they died for. Even A's journey to the city where these mothers live so she can research the book of Field Notes she stole from N is interesting, rife with discovery and connection.
But Part III lost me again. By the time the story wrapped up, it felt really disjointed. What was the purpose of R and his mother being in the story at all? Dancing is such a vital part of A's relationship with N, and the way she describes it as a form of communication, it seems like there being no link between that and the other story was a missed opportunity. I think it says what it wants to say about such a serious topic in a very half-hearted way.
In a word, this book was underwhelming. It's a 2.5 for me. Some solid stuff in here, but overall nothing came together in a way that worked for me.
Thanks to Netgalley & Henry Holt and Co. for the eARC.
Once I was grounded in reality with an idea of where we were (the narration gestures to South America but it is purposefully obscure; disappearances like this can and have happened anywhere and everywhere), I actually thought Part II was the strongest. We learn what really lies behind the disappearances of these boys, the courage it takes these mothers to never stop reminding people that their sons died and what they died for. Even A's journey to the city where these mothers live so she can research the book of Field Notes she stole from N is interesting, rife with discovery and connection.
But Part III lost me again. By the time the story wrapped up, it felt really disjointed. What was the purpose of R and his mother being in the story at all? Dancing is such a vital part of A's relationship with N, and the way she describes it as a form of communication, it seems like there being no link between that and the other story was a missed opportunity. I think it says what it wants to say about such a serious topic in a very half-hearted way.
In a word, this book was underwhelming. It's a 2.5 for me. Some solid stuff in here, but overall nothing came together in a way that worked for me.
Thanks to Netgalley & Henry Holt and Co. for the eARC.
January 16, 2026
This is a 3.5 for me. Bruni creates a story that alters between the story of A. and a book that she is translating, Field Notes, taken by an observer in a city filled with violence and fear. Sons are missing, and mothers are desperate to find them. These mothers grieve together over their lost children. The community of mothers have learned that they have become marginalized in their own city. Bruni beautifully expresses the helplessness of these women as they seek answers about the disappearances of their sons.
A. is intrigued by a book of grieving mothers, as she is grieving for the children she will never have. Bruni captures the sadness and wistfulness of a woman who loses the capacity to mother due to medical reasons. A. loses purpose in life and hopes to find answers through this sisterhood of grieving mothers she finds in this book.
While I understand not giving names to characters to make them a faceless entity of a world with similar issues and circumstances, it made it hard to connect with the characters. The beginning was a slow start. I liked A’s story so much more than the Field Notes. I would have like the field notes to be smaller sections to allow Bruni to fully explore A. and her journey. I felt that just as her story was really grabbing me, the book would switch to the field notes.
At first, the book gave some dystopian vibes as there were missing children and a city/government that didn’t seem to fully address the concerns of the mothers. I feel if A’s would have been featured more strongly in the beginning, those ideas wouldn’t have come across so strongly.
A. is intrigued by a book of grieving mothers, as she is grieving for the children she will never have. Bruni captures the sadness and wistfulness of a woman who loses the capacity to mother due to medical reasons. A. loses purpose in life and hopes to find answers through this sisterhood of grieving mothers she finds in this book.
While I understand not giving names to characters to make them a faceless entity of a world with similar issues and circumstances, it made it hard to connect with the characters. The beginning was a slow start. I liked A’s story so much more than the Field Notes. I would have like the field notes to be smaller sections to allow Bruni to fully explore A. and her journey. I felt that just as her story was really grabbing me, the book would switch to the field notes.
At first, the book gave some dystopian vibes as there were missing children and a city/government that didn’t seem to fully address the concerns of the mothers. I feel if A’s would have been featured more strongly in the beginning, those ideas wouldn’t have come across so strongly.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This reflects a side of life that is complicated.
It started with field notes documented by Tomas Petritus in a country that wasn’t identified. He was researching a group of 20 mothers under 36 years old who gathered together regularly for support. They embraced, prayed and cried as they talked about their missing sons. It was suspected that they were taken against their will and forced to be a part of a rebel group.
Next the book jumped to a young woman who was referred to as “A.” She was dating someone called “N.” while she was taking care of a young boy “R.” She was also an instructor for Language Elective for Non-Native Speakers. While she was seeing “N.” she was intrigued with a book on his shelf by the late Petritus. She took it without N.’s knowledge and used it to get a research grant.
It was a slow start and wasn’t easy to get engaged especially with characters identified by A., N., and R. It created a feeling of distance and distrust. There were several issues presented by A. including health concerns, childhood stories, classroom observations and support for grieving women.
It emphasized the grief and fear mothers endured with missing sons. Some of those trying to help were killed. The story had a lot of good points but it was disjointed in places. However, it’s clear this is a widespread complex problem in the world.
My thanks to Henry Holt and Company and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 3, 2026.
It started with field notes documented by Tomas Petritus in a country that wasn’t identified. He was researching a group of 20 mothers under 36 years old who gathered together regularly for support. They embraced, prayed and cried as they talked about their missing sons. It was suspected that they were taken against their will and forced to be a part of a rebel group.
Next the book jumped to a young woman who was referred to as “A.” She was dating someone called “N.” while she was taking care of a young boy “R.” She was also an instructor for Language Elective for Non-Native Speakers. While she was seeing “N.” she was intrigued with a book on his shelf by the late Petritus. She took it without N.’s knowledge and used it to get a research grant.
It was a slow start and wasn’t easy to get engaged especially with characters identified by A., N., and R. It created a feeling of distance and distrust. There were several issues presented by A. including health concerns, childhood stories, classroom observations and support for grieving women.
It emphasized the grief and fear mothers endured with missing sons. Some of those trying to help were killed. The story had a lot of good points but it was disjointed in places. However, it’s clear this is a widespread complex problem in the world.
My thanks to Henry Holt and Company and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 3, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Sarah Bruni’s 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 is essentially a book within a book. The primary narrator is only known to the audience as A. After experiencing some traumatic situations, A. avoids processing her feelings and retreats into translating a volume called Field Notes written by the mysterious Tomas Petritus. In the book, Petritus visits a town primarily made up of women and children and documents the grief of many mothers whose sons have gone missing. As A. translates and researches, she uncovers a larger story of fascism and political protest.
This is a poetically written story about the pain and cruelty women endure and the overwhelming forces of maternal love and sisterhood. Unfortunately, I felt emotionally disconnected for the majority of the novel due to the disjointed and detached writing style. While I understand that it was likely a choice to help convey the numbness of the main protagonist, I do wish I felt a stronger attachment to the characters and their arcs. I do still think 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 has beautiful and meaningful prose and I would recommend it to those interested in political fiction.
3.5 stars. Thank you to Henry Holt for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a poetically written story about the pain and cruelty women endure and the overwhelming forces of maternal love and sisterhood. Unfortunately, I felt emotionally disconnected for the majority of the novel due to the disjointed and detached writing style. While I understand that it was likely a choice to help convey the numbness of the main protagonist, I do wish I felt a stronger attachment to the characters and their arcs. I do still think 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 has beautiful and meaningful prose and I would recommend it to those interested in political fiction.
3.5 stars. Thank you to Henry Holt for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy
I won an advance copy of Mass Mothering from a giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
Bruni's novel alternates between two mediums. The first is a journalistic manuscript, Field Notes, whose author has—at great political risk—chronicled the stories of mothers whose sons have been disappeared by the government. The second is a first-person account from A., who is translating Field Notes.
It's a fast read broken into ultra-brief chapters that takes a unique, multi-layered approach to its themes. Whose stories get listened to? How does altering the identities of those involved change people's willingness to listen? These questions take on a lot of weight considering the conspicuous choice to anonymize the names of characters and the countries in which the story takes place. As the title suggests, this is also a story about motherhood as community and the role of grief as both a shared experience but also one that is entirely individualized and incomparable.
Readers who enjoy reading between the lines and are comfortable with ambiguity will find a lot to appreciate in this novel. 4/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bruni's novel alternates between two mediums. The first is a journalistic manuscript, Field Notes, whose author has—at great political risk—chronicled the stories of mothers whose sons have been disappeared by the government. The second is a first-person account from A., who is translating Field Notes.
It's a fast read broken into ultra-brief chapters that takes a unique, multi-layered approach to its themes. Whose stories get listened to? How does altering the identities of those involved change people's willingness to listen? These questions take on a lot of weight considering the conspicuous choice to anonymize the names of characters and the countries in which the story takes place. As the title suggests, this is also a story about motherhood as community and the role of grief as both a shared experience but also one that is entirely individualized and incomparable.
Readers who enjoy reading between the lines and are comfortable with ambiguity will find a lot to appreciate in this novel. 4/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I wasn't expecting to like this book. I had been given a free advanced copy from a local independent bookstore, and I brought it along on my ski trip as a backup in case I finished the other book I had brought along. From the description I was expecting it to be a fantasy/dystopian themed story. However, as it unraveled I was intrigued and had to keep reading. A little while into the story I began to understand what it was really about... probably before most, due to a trip I took last year and things I learned while there. I won't give too much away, since the mystery of what the story is about is part of the experience, carefully crafted by the author to avoid prejudice and preconceptions. Up to the point of using initials instead of names and using generic references to places instead of specific names. I finished this book in one day, it kept me so engaged.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is one of those books that felt too literary for me. Without spoilers, the resolution of the 'missing boy' in one of the two timelines does not appear to connect as easily to the other 'missing boys' in the first timeline, so I felt confused and unsatisfied. While the book is written in a way that separates the reader from the characters, I think that was not the issue, but the lack of depth to the story. If we had just heard more about the boys going missing, and how that truly impacted the community, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I do think, though, that a good examination of this book from someone else (someone smarter than me, it seems) could convince me otherwise.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2025
Mass Mothering certainly had an interesting concept, and what I thought would be an emotional pull for me. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the reader for this type of book.
I felt there was too much of a distance between the reader and the characters—especially where no names were used—for me to feel attached to this narrative. What I thought would be a deeply moving story about children being ripped from their families didn’t feel compelling at all. The writing seemed a bit too clinical. I really wanted to love this one, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.
Special thanks to Holt for sending a complimentary copy of this book!
I felt there was too much of a distance between the reader and the characters—especially where no names were used—for me to feel attached to this narrative. What I thought would be a deeply moving story about children being ripped from their families didn’t feel compelling at all. The writing seemed a bit too clinical. I really wanted to love this one, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.
Special thanks to Holt for sending a complimentary copy of this book!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Mass Mothering combines a literary mystery with a contemplative reflection on grief and community, albeit with a heavier emphasis on the latter. The mystery itself is pretty slight once A., our narrator, sets out to discover the origins of Field Notes, a posthumous work that consists of interviews from a community of mothers whose children have disappeared. This is not really a character centered novel as much as it is one built around moods. Most of the characters in the present narrative are only known by initials. Consequently, some revelations in the last third are anti-climactic, but this is a work more concerned with keeping the reader unsettled, the bigger mysteries left dangling.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Mass Mothering by Sarah Bruni was an interesting take on the mass disappearances of boy and young men in countries being torn apart. The concept was interesting but felt disjointed at times. We first see the story through the interviewer's eyes as he interviews the mothers of the missing and then we see the story through the eyes of a young ESL teacher who stumbles upon it and gets sponsored to translated it. Although there were some great images and peeks into the people behind the story, the telling didn't hold it all together for me.
November 15, 2025
*I won a copy of this book in a giveaway* 3.5 stars. This book had some absolutely beautiful, very quotable lines in it, particularly in regard to grief. I was not as interested in the field notes sections of the book the main character was translating; I was just more invested in her perspective. However, this was really well written and definitely worth a read.
December 20, 2025
This was a quick read and kept me interested the whole time! That being said, it wasn’t my favorite book, I liked the concept, mothers who’s sons disappeared and the way they grieve, but I think this book could have been more specific and not as vague. It was well written, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I wasn't so sure what to expect when I received this copy but I could not put it down.
the story is about loss, grief, and mothers. It is about personal loss and dealing with cancer and the aftermath of that.
I kept thinking, "what would I do if I was in this situation?" ,"what if my boys were taken from me?".
the story is about loss, grief, and mothers. It is about personal loss and dealing with cancer and the aftermath of that.
I kept thinking, "what would I do if I was in this situation?" ,"what if my boys were taken from me?".
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Not really sure how to write this review. I liked the book was a bit confusing at first. Then very sad. Good character development. Didn't think I would finish when I started, but every day picked it up and tried to rush through it. Interesting especially in these times. And scary. Hoping all of us mothers can come together to make this world a better place. Starting now.
Want to read
August 6, 2025thank you to sarah bruni & netgalley for an arc of this book. all opinions are my own. ♡
₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: umm this sounds so interesting and im gonna leave it at that. super excited to get the arc!!
₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts:
₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: umm this sounds so interesting and im gonna leave it at that. super excited to get the arc!!
₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts:
May 29, 2025
dope!
one of the best novels I've read so far in 2025
one of the best novels I've read so far in 2025
August 12, 2025
So so amazing
November 11, 2025
Beautiful, haunting and poetic.
December 1, 2025
Very interesting book. It has 2 POV and deals with grief and loss.while also trying to figure out what happened to all the disappearing boys.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Interesting read. I didn't understand all of it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
fantastic novel that is filled with lyricality and amazing plotting throughout. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
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January 14, 2026Beautiful - multi layered story within stories / mothers mourning the disappearance of their sons - a translator assaulted?
December 10, 2025
Two separate storylines converge in this (speculative?) novel set in an unnamed place and time, both of which could be multiple countries in present day, wherever fascism and extremism rule and children disappear with no trace.
Love the attempt to tell a story that captures the emotion of mothers left behind and affected by the evil forces ripping families apart--and their refusal to do nothing. What had the potential to be very relevant, very emotional given today's political, culture and societal landscapes unfortunately fell a little short for me. I didn't feel deep empathy or connection to the main female protagonist, nor did the losses described by the mothers feel visceral like I expected given the topic. 3 stars for me.
+++
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Love the attempt to tell a story that captures the emotion of mothers left behind and affected by the evil forces ripping families apart--and their refusal to do nothing. What had the potential to be very relevant, very emotional given today's political, culture and societal landscapes unfortunately fell a little short for me. I didn't feel deep empathy or connection to the main female protagonist, nor did the losses described by the mothers feel visceral like I expected given the topic. 3 stars for me.
+++
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews