Caroline Builta's Reviews > The Mother Act

"At least there’s divorce, but it’s pretty hard to get out of being a mother once you’re a mother. Not impossible, that much is clear—just trickier."

The Mother Act, Heidi Reimer's powerful debut, is a thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after the final page is turned. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the professional theater world, this story spans decades and details the relationship between Sadie, a fiercely independent actress with some controversial work, and her daughter, Jude (a talented actress in her own right). Sadie, who has a larger-than-life personality, prioritizes her ambitions for fame over motherhood, even writing and performing a one-woman show detailing her struggles with becoming a mother. Jude, who yearns for her mother's love and affection, grapples with the emotional fallout from Sadie's choices.

"But don’t mothers and daughters forgive words spoken in anger? Don’t they process and move on?"

Structured cleverly as a six-act play, the reader is presented with both Sadie and Jude's perspectives, which offers nuance to a story where one of the characters could easily be written off as irredeemable. Reimer's writing is both insightful and emotionally charged, and I found this book gripping all the way through. This book is not concerned with who deserves to be vindicated and how, but with truly understanding the complexity of a woman's experience.

"Does it never occur to you that people and relationships could in fact be the most precious thing there is?"

If you enjoy stories about complicated family dynamics, thought-provoking questions about motherhood and feminism, and books set against the backdrop of the theater world, pick this one up. I think this will be great for fans of Laurie Frankel's Family Family and Jenny Jackson's Pineapple Street.

Thanks to Dutton and Heidi Reimer for the review copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is out now!