Blumes’s Reviews > The Mothers > Status Update

Throughout this novel the author conveyed lots of emotions through interesting characters. The author lead us through each character's life, revealing there experiences and how they made meaning of them. The narrative of the story is secondary to the emotional journey that the author brings us through. We experience grief, heartbreak, hope and resilience. Because of the way the writing illustrates hardship.

Luke and Nadia are having an affair and she is racked with guilt. She tells herself that she does not have to be guilty. Luke also feels the same way. Because both of them know what they are doing wrong, it shows that they have good hearts but are not yet mature enough to have good intentions. With Aubrey unknowing of the affair and trying to have a baby with Luke it complicates things and adds an unexpected twist.

The author has started to use more refined language in the last few chapters. I think this is because the storyline is getting a little bit darker and more adult-like. Nadia keeps having encounters with Luke where she is unsure whether to express hate or to become friends. She is conflicted because her best friend is married to her ex boyfriend and her dad was just hospitalized. she once again feels alone.

A little before chapter eight the story panned to Luke's point of view. His mens' league football team beat him up in an alley after his team mate's wife kissed him. This caused Luke to go to the hospital, then from there he went to rehab for his leg. After developing a relationship with Aubrey Evans a girl from his neighborhood and proposing to her I am curious to see what happens when Nadia is brought back.

In chapter six the narrator explains the hardships of women who ended up in Upper Room. Having endured racism, sexism, and a life of oppression, they decided to move to Upper Room to be more appreciated and have a better life for themselves and their families. The women are caretakers both at home and professionally, which ties into the title, "The Mothers," and truly shows the price of motherhood.

through reading this book the author illustrates a theme of a tight knit community. She also conveys a theme of loneliness and isolation, as evidenced by Nadia's mother's death and her abortion. Both Nadia and Luke separately think about the child they created together and the loss they feel even though they are both too young to become parents. Even though Upper Room is small, they still feel loneliness and grief.

In chapter four the author illustrates the devastation of a community and the family when an untimely and cruel death happens such as the death of 14 year old Kayla Dean. The way the author uses metaphors to describe the difference between "hard deaths" and "soft deaths" is beautiful to read and crushing to feel. The way she describes the grief around the "hard deaths" being hard to swallow is accurate and resonates.

In the third chapter Nadia as the narrator explains how when the pastor visits her home she is anxious about what he thinks of the house. Nadia talks about how her house must feel empty to him, to anyone. She feels that her house is empty because her mother is no longer alive. Nadia reflects upon her relationship with her father, remembering how she was scared of him when she was little, now she wants his love.

The start of the novel introduces us to several characters but one specifically is a stand out. Nadia Turner is our main protagonist. The author immediately gives us insight into her emotional pain. Her mother took her own life and her father is not fully present. Most of her anxiety is towards abandonment. When her boyfriend does not return her calls she assumes the worst. She is vulnerable because of her pregnancy.