I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

Motherhood is not for the weak. At times, it can drain you. Frida was having a bad day. She was up all night with her daughter Harriet who was suffering from an ear infection. Frida was divorced from Harriet’s father, Gust, and shared equal custody. Frida wasn’t moving on from the divorce and only having Harriet with her part time left her feeling terribly lonely. On this day, after being up nearly all night with Harriety, Frida needed a coffee. There happened to be a coffee shop down the street. Since it was so close, Frida knew she would only be away for a couple of minutes. Then she remembered that she also had to pop in at work to pick up some handwritten notes for her latest work assignment. She put Harriet in her ExerSaucer, gave her some water and animal crackers and left to run to work. At work, Frida got caught up answering some emails. Two hours later, she was on her way home when she discovered a call from the police. She had muted her phone so that ringing wouldn’t wake Harriet.

One of Frida’s neighbors called the police after hearing Harriet crying. The police found Harriet alone at Frida’s house. They searched the home, determining Frida was not at home. The officers took Harriet to the station and called Frida. Frida calls her ex-husband and tells him that Harriet is at the police station and that she is going there to pick Harriet up. At the station, she is questioned about the circumstances of her day. She explains to the officers why she left Harriet alone, intending to be gone just a few minutes. In the hall, she hears her ex-husband’s voice. She attempts to explain her actions and the current situation to Gust and his girlfriend Susanna. Why didn’t she call them to watch Harriet when she went to work? Why did she leave Harriet alone? The police tell Frida that she has lost shared custody and Gust has temporary full custody. Child Protective Services will be stopping by her house to visit with her.

Frida is devastated that Harriet is with Gust. She sees her daughter growing and changing and is afraid to miss one second of her time with Harriet. The CPS visit is awful. Frida feels judged by the social worker and misunderstood. Frida worries that Harriet will start forgetting her. All that she wants is to forget that awful day and move on. The court however, does not forget that day. Frida loses custody. Her only hope of regaining shared custody is if she attends a re-education center, to learn how to be a good mother. Upon completion of the course, custody will be re-evaluated. The court has left Frida no choice. She will attend this course.

At The School For Good Mothers, every woman is to introduce themselves by name and the crime they are committed. Classrooms are based upon the age of the child with the curriculum also age related. Men are in a different locale but are supposed to be receiving similar training. Will the courses help Frida? Will Frida regain custody? What do these lessons focus on? Do these mothers actually complete the program? The thought given to the program and curriculum is amazing. How does one become a good mother? Will all these attendees be able to complete the course? Each of the women have vastly different reasons for being there. How can one course correct a wide variety of issues. It is interesting that no one seems bothered by the state determining what good mothering characteristics are. This school reminds me of the Stepford wives. How will it turn out for Frida? The ending of this book is so good and so unexpected. I won’t give away any more details. Just read it.

Jessamine Chan looks deep into the fears of parents – losing custody of their children. She crafts a story full of pathos with the state using it’s supreme power to shape people into their version of a “good” parent. Frida’s experiences in the school are chilling as she tries to mold herself into the ideal of motherhood. The rights of the individual are overridden by the government. In an effort to curb parental problems, could we create such a school? Eerily, most of the circumstances described in this book are believable. Each page takes you further into this crazy yet not so crazy world. Major credit to the author, Frida is portrayed as the flawed character that she is – no sympathetic explanations. Chan does not attempt to explain away what Frida has done. This isn’t a horror or thriller book and yet you will find yourself horrified by the story wondering what could possibly happen next. Book clubs will have so much to discuss! All the buzz about this book is true, it is absolutely phenomenal.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻/5

Additional Thoughts: I had the opportunity to watch an interview with Jessamine Chan. This book took several years to write. She read an article about a mother trying to regain custody of her child and that seed grew into this amazing book. The first draft was written while she was pregnant with her first child. She said that her perspective changed so much after becoming a mother that she went back and made some major edits. As I read the book I would marvel at how clever she was at creating this story. Then, I would turn the page and be completely shocked. I was intrigued by the name of the book not imagining the impact of this story. As a mother and grandmother, so many aspects of this book have snuck into my subconscious. The exhaustion, self doubt, loss of self, and constant worry are so perfectly portrayed. I am excited to know that the rights to the book have been purchased and it is being developed into a series. I haven’t reread a book in a long time but this is one that I will. As for the ending? I love that she leaves it up to our interpretation!