Synopsis:
The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance.
When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory.
The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…
Edition:
E-ARC via Net Galley
Trigger Warnings:
Hover for Trigger WarningsMy Thoughts:
As a woman, once you reach a certain age it seems like the world becomes an endless barrage of “when are you going to have kids,” or “your biological clock is ticking – time is running out.” It’s super annoying. Just Like Mother takes the annoyance of the reality that most people view women as breeding machines and can’t imagine them not wanting to be drowning in squalling children and takes it to an even darker, more horrifying place.
Take that ‘slapping you in the face with the need to have babies’ mentality and add a bit of culty-devotion to the notion (I hate myself for that). Now in addition to that, how about a splash of Gilead? Are you terrified yet? What if I added the possibility of robo-babies?
“Actually,” I said quietly, “I don’t want to have children.”
See, I knew I’d get you. That’s an impossibly frightening combination of baby-bullshit/bodily autonomy nightmare fuel. Especially when taken in conjunction with the never-ending “but are women actually people” debate here in America, and I don’t think I even wanted to exist for like a week after finishing Just Like Mother.
But despite what sounds like a ringing “fuck this book” non-endorsement, I honestly loved it. See, I find it cathartic to read things that are terrifying because it’s safe in a book. No matter how bad things get, they’re still just make believe (for now). And Just Like Mother is scary. Make no mistakes – it’s fucked up. But…it’s also beautifully written, ultimately cathartic, and just a hell of a lot of pulse-pounding fun.
It’s a pointed examination of the damaging effects of forced motherhood, religious extremism, and societal pressures that women face to be little more than breeding machines. It even touches on a bit of the problematic nature of #girlboss culture. And I think that right now, in the current political climate in America (religious extremism masquerading as politics), it’s a pretty damned timely read.
Rating:
This book is so creepy, so fun, and so timely. I wish it wasn’t so timely. But maybe it’s just evergreen. Yay.
Really though – if it comes from Nightfire, you should probably just read it. They have an incredible catalogue.
Just Like Mother By Anne Heltzel Tor Nightfire ISBN: 9781250787514 Published: May 17, 2022 Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, E-book 320 Pages
That whole wellness industry bullshit was really taken to task in this book and I loved it.