The Mothers: A Novel

About this book

A taut emotionally gripping novel about one couples passionate desire for a child and their heartrending journey through adoptionfrom a critically acclaimed writer whose voice is at turns wise and barbed with sharp humor (Vanity Fair). Poignant raw and insightful Jennifer Gilmores third novel is an unforgettable story of love family and motherhood. With a voice that is at turns wise and barbed with sharp humor (Vanity Fair) Gilmore lays bare the story of one couples ardent desire for a child and their emotional journey through adoption. Jesse and Ramon are a loving couple but after years spent unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant they turn to adoption relieved to think that once they navigate the bureaucratic path to parent-hood they will have a happy ending. But nothing has prepared them for the labyrinthine processfor the many training sessions and approvals; for the constant advice from friends strangers and experts; for the birthmothers who contact them but dont ultimately choose them; or even most shockingly for the women who call claiming theyve chosen Jesse and Ramon but who turn out never to have been pregnant in the first place. Jennifer Gilmores eloquence about the human heartits frailties and complexitiesand her razor-sharp observations about race class culture and changing family dynamics are spectacularly combined in this powerful novel. Suffused with passion and fury The Mothers is a taut gripping and satisfying book that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.