Jessamine Chan

'We have your daughter' Frida Liu is a struggling mother. She remembers taking Harriet from her cot and changing her nappy. She remembers giving her a morning bottle. They'd been up since four am. Frida just had to finish the article in front of her. But she'd left a file on her desk at work. What would happen if she retrieved it and came back in an hour? She was so sure it would be okay. Now, the state has decided that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter. That she must be re-trained. Soon, mothers everywhere will be re-educated. Will their mistakes cost them everything? The School for Good Mothers is an explosive and thrilling novel about love and the pressures of perfectionism, parenthood and privilege.

The School for Good Mothers

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. She can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with Harriet, their cherubic daughter, does Frida finally attain the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she is just enough. Until Frida has a very bad day. The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida. The ones who check their phones, letting their children get injured on the playground; who let their children walk home alone. Because of one moment of poor judgment, a host of government officials will now 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 a bad mother can be redeemed. That she can learn to be good. A searing page-turner that is also a transgressive novel of ideas about the perils of “perfect” upper-middle class parenting; the violence enacted upon women by both the state and, at times, one another; the systems that separate families; and the boundlessness of love, The School for Good Mothers introduces, in Frida, an everywoman for the ages. Using dark wit to explore the pains and joys of the deepest ties that bind us, Chan has written a modern literary classic.

A Novel

ReadwithZanariah 

It was like taking swim lesson from people who’ve never been underwater.

Emiley Jones

But nothing feels good without her daughter. Neither time nor space nor her body. 

The school needs to see that she’s changed, but does survival count as progress? Harriet deserves more than a mother whose greatest achievement is keeping herself alive. 

It doesn’t matter that love can’t break a fever. That love can’t be measured. Anything can be measured. They have the tools now. 

She wants to tell him that these buildings are composed of pheromones and regret. Hostility. Longing. That it’s possible to stop noticing sadness. That the sound of women crying now resembles white noise.

At dinner parties, she wanted to touch their throats and play with their long, tangled hair—wondered what it was like to wear sadness so close to the skin and be loved for it.

She thought that becoming a mother would mean joining a community, but the mothers she’s met are as petty as newly minted sorority sisters.

It wasn’t the pleasure of sex or love or sunsets, but the pleasure of forgetting her body, her life. 

Before Susanna appeared in her life, Frida hadn’t understood that the gap between 28 and 39 could be so potent and deadly. 

Beck Krystal

Emmanuelle arches her back and screams with abandon. It is a cry of lost love, families torn apart Dy war, a cry for the earth and its natural disasters. The falsehood of her body and how she must suffer without growing up.

Stephen Schenkenberg

The family of yellers two doors down are outside smoking weed and clinking beer bottles. Loud white Americans taking up space. She never claimed her space.

Helen 

She never thought of herself as living ina city full of children, but maybe every city and every neighborhood is full of children when you've lost your own. 

Syrina

this book made me feel physically ill 💗

abi a

I had a hard time finishing this book and made myself to finish it. It’s a dystopian kinda way. It’s terrifying and gutting and depressing and everything negative feeling I started to have, further into the book. But after all those negative feelings, I am adamant to finish it because I am curious to find out what’s the ending for Frida. In truth, I’ve skipped most of the pages bcoz I can’t bare to read anymore of the ridiculous things she and the other mothers have to learn on the school. A school taught from people who do not have children of their own; it was like taking swimming lesson from people who never been underwater, said another mother.

Begging question now is, would Frida have the happy ending she taught she might have after being in that school?

I had a hard time finishing this book and made myself to finish it. It’s a dystopian kinda way. It’s terrifying and gutting and depressing and everything negative feeling I started to have, further into the book. But after all those negative feelings, I am adamant to finish it because I am curious to find out what’s the ending for Frida. In truth, I’ve skipped most of the pages bcoz I can’t bare to read anymore of the ridiculous things she and the other mothers have to learn on the school. A school taught from people who do not have children of their own; it was like taking swimming lesson from people who never been underwater, said another mother.

Begging question now is, would Frida have the happy ending she taught she might have after being in that school?

An intense and unforgiving portrait of motherhood, and how women must atone for their human imperfections.

Ally Perkins

This book was so gripping and grounded. It was the type of speculative fiction that was so scary because it felt so possible. I thought it was such an interesting book to think about our societal ideal of mothers/motherhood, the carceral system, and how white supremacy impacts parenting/the nuclear family. The prose was bone-chilling and since I listened to the audiobook I think the delivery from the voice actor really added to that. Like every story about motherhood, I hated the dad and the other women they sucked!! and never got what was coming to them IMO. Another book I think would be great for a book club (esp ppl who either are/want to be parents)

Liyah 🤎

Heather Margaret

I wanted to scream and throw things by the end of this book.

Bria

this went in a completely different direction than i thought it was gonna go but it was so good

Mary Makarious

** spoiler alert **
           Jessamine Chan's debut novel, "A School for Good Mothers," offers a thought-provoking yet flawed exploration of the complexities of motherhood and societal expectations. The protagonist, Frida Liu, is a relatable character who struggles with living up to her Chinese immigrant parents' high expectations, aspirations, and societal standards. A single lapse in judgment lands her in a Big Brother-like institution where she must prove her worth as a mother.

I think the premise of CPS sending someone to become a better parent has potential. This book was successful in creating sympathy for Frida and (I am sure) resonates with many readers who may have faced similar judgments and expectations in their lives. However, the execution of the story falls short, feeling repetitive and lacking in depth. Themes such as immigrant parenting styles and the pressure to be perfect are touched upon but not fully explored.

Even though this topic is emotionally charged, the book had pacing issues, weird tangents to the overtly sexual, and an overall (emotionally?) flat narrative. The story attempts to tackle various issues, such as self-judgment, racism, and sexism within the system, but these themes are fleeting.
However, I do believe this novel provides a chilling glimpse into the realities of motherhood and the harsh judgments placed upon mothers deemed unfit by the state. The dystopian setting is an exaggerated reflection of societal expectations, prompting readers to question the standards imposed on parents, particularly mothers.

Disclaimer: I am not a mother so some of these might have been lost on me.

This had good ideas but it was so, so let down by the writing. The whole time in the programme was described so, so mundanely that Frida's increasing desperation just never quite hit. I sympathised with her as I always would with a mother as motherhood - and parenthood as a whole - is so difficult and there is no perfect way to be a parent. But everything in the novel was taken to an extremety that is not shocking but absurd, making it difficult to take seriously.

For example, I would believe that the system would judge harshly a woman like Frida; unfortunately, a lot of parents have had issues with CPS or have had their kids taken away not because they are bad parents but because the system has failed them. "The School for Good Mothers" nearly makes and explores that point, except that instead of weaving it into the narrative, it consistently tries to hit you over the head with it by stating it bluntly at random times.

This is actually an issue not isolated to this theme - take racism for example. There is a scene where the dolls that the programme uses to teach the parents to be good parents are thought different types of violent racism to get the parents to unteach them racism. Frida, who is of Chinese descent, is paired with a Black father. The parents are graded at the end of the assignment; the father fumes about how Frida "should have let him win" because of the ineherent bias against Black men (which is a very real thing), Frida thinks about she has explained to her doll in so much detail the intricacies of anti-Blackness while he only explained to his doll the broad strokes of anti-Asian racism (and not anti-Chinese sentiments in particular). A better part of me believes the intention here is to show the layers of racism in America, that both being people of colour does not make them inherently allies. A worse part of me remembers non-Black people of colour complaining how racism is always about black people during the last wave of BLM protests. If this had been refined further, the optics of it could have given less Twitter crowd and more intersectionality.

And don't even get me started that they would never train the dolls to be racist when Western governments love to pat themselves on the backs about how non-racist they are and how racism is simply not an issue anymore.

The novel also places Frida in the same space as parents who have genuinely jeopardised the safety of their children; this is perhaps an attempted commentary on the prison system except then it does not quite go in enough depth to make an interesting commentary on it. This is another repeated flaw in the novel.

All of this makes me wonder whether the editor actually spent time with the novel or whether they figured out they could just slap "The Handmaid's Tale" label on it and ship it off. And it is not that the novel does not have anything to say. It has a lot of the tools it needs to talk about parenthood in the new age and in the West (the time it spends on Frida reminiscing on her own childhood where her primary carer was her grandma but it did not mean her parents did not love her, that it is just how Chinese families are structured and what Chinese parenthood looks like, and that it is misunderstood by a white society applying Western standards - was particularly poignant), about the inherent racism of the system, etc. But it is never pushed to execute this or execute it well.

This had good ideas but it was so, so let down by the writing. The whole time in the programme was described so, so mundanely that Frida's increasing desperation just never quite hit. I sympathised with her as I always would with a mother as motherhood - and parenthood as a whole - is so difficult and there is no perfect way to be a parent. But everything in the novel was taken to an extremety that is not shocking but absurd, making it difficult to take seriously.

For example, I would believe that the system would judge harshly a woman like Frida; unfortunately, a lot of parents have had issues with CPS or have had their kids taken away not because they are bad parents but because the system has failed them. "The School for Good Mothers" nearly makes and explores that point, except that instead of weaving it into the narrative, it consistently tries to hit you over the head with it by stating it bluntly at random times.

This is actually an issue not isolated to this theme - take racism for example. There is a scene where the dolls that the programme uses to teach the parents to be good parents are thought different types of violent racism to get the parents to unteach them racism. Frida, who is of Chinese descent, is paired with a Black father. The parents are graded at the end of the assignment; the father fumes about how Frida "should have let him win" because of the ineherent bias against Black men (which is a very real thing), Frida thinks about she has explained to her doll in so much detail the intricacies of anti-Blackness while he only explained to his doll the broad strokes of anti-Asian racism (and not anti-Chinese sentiments in particular). A better part of me believes the intention here is to show the layers of racism in America, that both being people of colour does not make them inherently allies. A worse part of me remembers non-Black people of colour complaining how racism is always about black people during the last wave of BLM protests. If this had been refined further, the optics of it could have given less Twitter crowd and more intersectionality.

And don't even get me started that they would never train the dolls to be racist when Western governments love to pat themselves on the backs about how non-racist they are and how racism is simply not an issue anymore.

The novel also places Frida in the same space as parents who have genuinely jeopardised the safety of their children; this is perhaps an attempted commentary on the prison system except then it does not quite go in enough depth to make an interesting commentary on it. This is another repeated flaw in the novel.

All of this makes me wonder whether the editor actually spent time with the novel or whether they figured out they could just slap "The Handmaid's Tale" label on it and ship it off. And it is not that the novel does not have anything to say. It has a lot of the tools it needs to talk about parenthood in the new age and in the West (the time it spends on Frida reminiscing on her own childhood where her primary carer was her grandma but it did not mean her parents did not love her, that it is just how Chinese families are structured and what Chinese parenthood looks like, and that it is misunderstood by a white society applying Western standards - was particularly poignant), about the inherent racism of the system, etc. But it is never pushed to execute this or execute it well.

Read this book if you have ever found yourself judging a mother for doing something wrong. This book takes that to it's absolute extreme and left me crying 😭

Jemima Youard

Jason Marder

For fans of Margaret Atwood. At once unbelievable and believable. But the unbelievability becomes more and more believable with each word, which shows the author’s gift. We are all bad in our own ways, and we can learn to be good.

Joy Bush

That was so disturbing and creepy. I'd recommend it only to those that don't have any triggers.

Kelci

Overall loved the concept, the ending ruined it for me

A heart-breaking, disturbing look at parenting, surveillance, technology, and autonomy. While reading, I was reminded of Never Let Me Go—but while Ishiguro allowed me to feel tenderness and hope, Chan evoked rage and despair. Beautifully written and developed…and enjoyable nonetheless! (Suggest looking up content warnings before diving in)

I cried and I smiled and I tore through this book. Chan has done an amazing job at making palpable the relationships which drive Frida’s life. It touched on female competition and community, and warned about what happens if larger powers are allowed to dictate the minutiae of parenting. The writing was solid and enjoyable to read, the story was hard to watch unfold, but it is a story worth witnessing.

Emily McMeans

This book deeply disturbed me, which I think was the goal, but I got so uncomfortable that I physically could not read it for longer than 30 minutes at a time. 

Simran Armstrong

Emily Perkovich

This book is extremely uncomfortable. I loved it, but found myself angry for how close to this reality we could be. If anything to do with motherhood is triggering for you in a way that you are not able to push through or sit with, I would not suggest this book. I definitely felt triggered many times.

This book had an amazing concept, but was so difficult to read. The tone was bleak and dystopian. I blew through it in an effort to rip the band-aid off. A friend likened it to Black Mirror and sure, I guess it is a lot like the episodes that are so depressing, you have to watch puppies or cartoons afterwards to recover.

Katelyn Caillouet

Erin Jensen

Coming from someone working with POC who are often disadvantaged in society and found in an all too similar position portrayed here, this book takes place in a dystopian world….that sometimes doesn’t seem too dystopian at all? I immediately was sympathetic for all of the moms in this book; each of them trying so hard and expected to not make any simple human mistakes at risk of the removal of their children. Was on edge while reading how the characters are quite literally tested on their ability to do what a mother “should” do vs their ability to do what a mother would as she (realistically) figures it out along the way. Could talk about this book for hours, and will think about it long after this review is written

Jerilynn Hallett 

This gave me Never Let Me Go and The Handmaids Tale vibes. 

Do your research before reading, as there are several triggers.

Incredible dystopian story that speaks of a near future nanny-state that closely monitors mothers.  An incredibly strict and clearly corruptible penile system, the School, has been created to reform moms who have been convicted of neglecting or abusing their children.  Story focuses around the tragic tale of one an Asian American mom who is fighting for custody by attending the School.  Incredibly moving and thought provoking, highly recommend to anyone who is a parent or is invested in child welfare.

Lily Elizabeth Labella

so good but so hard to read, the ending broke me

Kendall Lobdell

a mother has a “very bad day” resulting in her losing custody of her daughter and being given the choice of either; 1. going to a year long, live-in school where she will be taught to be a better mother or 2. lose custody of her daughter forever and be put on a “bad mother” registry. she obviously chooses the school where she learns she will be taking care of a robot/doll version of her daughter and very creepy things ensue. 

This book was marketed to me as a cross between The Push by Ashley Aldrain and A Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and it totally delivered. The ending hurts but i think you learn more because of the way it hurts. an easy 5 star read which isn’t usually a thing for me. 

Emma Carlson

a mother has a “very bad day” resulting in her losing custody of her daughter and being given the choice of either; 1. going to a year long, live-in school where she will be taught to be a better mother or 2. lose custody of her daughter forever and be put on a “bad mother” registry. she obviously chooses the school where she learns she will be taking care of a robot/doll version of her daughter and very creepy things ensue. 

This book was marketed to me as a cross between The Push by Ashley Aldrain and A Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and it totally delivered. The ending hurts but i think you learn more because of the way it hurts. an easy 5 star read which isn’t usually a thing for me. 

Jenn Doan 

Stayed up until 3 am to finish this one. The middle was incredibly slow to read

The School for Good Mothers

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