Josie Brown
This Sunday, many families will gather to pay tribute to those who have birthed a child—not to mention a multitude of memories. These novels are about just that: Those who have done their best to make a difference in their children’s lives and the traumas about it along the way.
BLACK CAKE
by Charmaine Wilkerson
In this “immersive family saga,” (Time) a mother’s death reunites her two sons, estranged from each other, as they delve into two dark family secrets before granting their mother’s final wish: sharing her favorite black cake.
This book was on the “Best Books of the Year” lists for Oprah Daily, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She Reads.
HAMNET
by Maggie O’Farrell
In some way or another—characters, plots, turn of phrase—all great English literature is compared to Shakespeare. Irish author Maggie O’Farrell gives readers more than the woman behind the man. In her novel, Agnes is a woman as fierce and as vital as any Shakespeare himself might have invented. Her great tenderness and tenacity as the mother of his offspring during the Black Plague make this tale just as tragic as any that the Bard might have penned.
This National Book Critics Circle award winner and New York Times bestseller will touch every mother’s heart.
THE PECULIAR FATE OF HOLLY BANKS
by Julie Valerie
In the follow-up novel to Valerie’s Holly Banks Full of Angst, the eponymous heroine must face situations—familial, social, professional, and personal—just as laugh-out-loud funny as those in the first book of this heartfelt series. Like everyone else, moms want it all. When you step into Holly’s ‘hood, the Village of Primm, you’ll swear that Valerie is channeling your over-achiever angst about never doing enough (for your child) or giving enough (to your child’s school) or holding onto enough (of your sanity.)
No wonder Booklist declares, “This will fit right in with loyal Kinsella readers, fans of Tom Perotta’s Mrs. Fletcher,” and Library Journal recommends it “for those who enjoy reading about relatable heroines and parents who are trying to have it all.”
