Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Like Mother, Like Mother

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger
10/29/24; 336 pages
Random House

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger is a recommended generational drama following three women in a family, Lila, Grace, and Zelda. The novel mainly focuses on Lila and Grace as they struggle with the complexities of relationships and trauma.

Lila Pereira had an abusive father and no mother growing up. She ended up executive editor of a major newspaper, The Washington Globe. She marries Joe and they have three daughters, Stella, Ava, and Grace . Lila leaves the parenting of their daughters to Joe while she concentrates on her career. The older two daughters, don't mind but the youngest, Grace, resents her mother's lack of involvement in her life, and constantly takes notes concerning her mother. Grace ends up writing a novel fictionalizing her mother's life.

There is a guide at the beginning to assist readers in following all the characters. The novel itself is divided into three parts. The first focuses on Lila, the second Grace, and the third Zelda. The stories of the individual characters is not linear, but goes back and forth in time to develop the characters and their backgrounds. Starting at the end of her life, the narrative eventually jumps back in time to Detroit in 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. She never sees her mother again but is physically abused by her father until she leaves for college. Grace can't seem to understand her mother's hesitation to be the main parent and her toxic resentment influences her life. Zelda was always presumed to be dead, but Grace looks into what really happened to her grandmother.

While I appreciate the look into generational trauma, none of these characters were even remotely appealing or relatable to me. At times it was a struggle to continue reading, as Grace, the main character driving the plot forward, is a decidedly annoying. Adding to the disjointed feeling, the narrative seemed to lose focus at times and feels scattered, while the dialogue isn't always very well executed. Embedded in the novel is too much editorializing on social/political views on contemporary topics, which is always off-putting.

Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

No comments: