BOOK CLUB / MOTHER’S DON’T

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ABOUT THE BOOK:
The short of it: A contemporary novel originally written in Basque (Amek ez dute), now available in English translation. It’s a sharp, thoughtful exploration of motherhood, creative ambition, and the emotional burdens women carry.

The longer synopsis: A mother kills her twins. Another woman, the narrator of this story, is about to give birth. She is a writer, and she realizes that she knows the woman who committed the infanticide. An obsession is born. She takes an extended leave, not for child-rearing, but to write. To research and write about the hidden truth behind the crime.

Mothers don’t write. Mothers give life. How could a woman be capable of neglecting her children? How could she kill them? Is motherhood a prison? Complete with elements of a traditional thriller, this is a groundbreaking novel in which the chronicle and the essay converge. Katixa Agirre reflects on the relationship between motherhood and creativity, in dialogue with writers such as Sylvia Plath and Doris Lessing. Mothers Don’t plumbs the depths of childhood and the lack of protection children face before the law. The result is a disturbing, original novel in which the author does not offer answers, but plants contradictions and discoveries. [Amazon]

A REVIEW:
“It might seem that everything has already been said about the experience of motherhood and its darkest reverse sides, but Mothers don’t shows that there are still many corners to explore, and it does it with accuracy and intelligence”―Aixa de la Cruz