2019 Book Review #3: The Perfect Mother

I just discovered this author!  It's her first novel (Fiction) and it's a thrill of a mystery, drama, a little romance (but not the sappy kind) and psychological twists.  I highly recommend it....I also heard it might be made into a movie...I hope whomever produces it doesn't ruin it.

STORY SUMMARY

The story is set in the present and takes place in Brooklyn, NY along with a short scene in upstate NY.

The "May Mothers" are a group of new moms, with newborns, who meet 2 times a week in a local park, (Prospect Park) under a big willow tree. All the babies were born in the same month.  The meetings are intended for some "adult time".  The babies typically sleep or are being nursed while they meet. There are many women who join the group but the key characters for the plot are:

Francie: she acts as the group's mascot.  She's the main organizer and has a baby boy named Will. She's originally from Tennessee. She's married. Will is having trouble breast-feeding and is very colicky and she feels guilty for giving him formula.

Colette:  she's the pretty mom.  She has a baby girl named Poppy.  She and her partner Charlie are writers.  Charlie writes novels and is very well known.  Colette writes as a "ghost-writer" and is currently working on a book about the mayor of NYC, Teb Shepherd.  Of course, her name won't appear anywhere on the book and the public will think he wrote it. The first one she did as his ghost writer was a huge success.  She is finding it difficult to meet the baby's needs, her partner's needs, and still continue her career. She is originally from Colorado. 

Scarlett:  She is supposedly married although no one has ever met her husband.  Her baby is Joshua who is always sleeping in his stroller when the moms group meets.  Scarlett seems to be the perfect mother knowing how to do everything for the baby effortlessly.  She appears to be very put together. She's a stay at home mom.

Nell:  she is British, very upscale with super short hair, and could care less about what the baby books say to do.  She believes in going with your gut when it comes to raising babies.  She also loves her gin and tonics.  Her baby is a girl named Beatrice.

Winnie: Model gorgeous and super nice but very private. She has a baby named Midas whom she is very uncomfortable leaving.  She's a single mom and doesn't want to leave her baby in the care of strangers. Also, she used to be a teenage actress with a very successful television series.  She is very wealthy and owns a country estate in upstate NY.

Token:  he is a stay at home dad with a baby girl and everyone assumes he is gay.  He's rather private and doesn't really talk about his home life other than his partner named Lou.  He seems to really like Winnie.

One day, the moms group decides that they should all go out for drinks on July 4th.  The babies are now about 6 weeks old and they figure they deserve a night out.  The husbands/partners or a babysitter can watch the babies.  Winnie is uncomfortable with this until Nell talks her into hiring Alma, whom Nell has hired to be Beatrice's nanny when Nell goes back to work in a couple weeks.   Alma is from Honduras but no one else knows that she is an illegal immigrant.  Winnie agrees to this plan.  She is ok with it because she has an app on her phone called Peek-a-Boo which syncs up with the baby monitor so you can check on the baby.

They all meet at the bar except for Scarlett who has her in-laws coming in to town for the holiday.  She says she will try to get away for a few minutes if she can.  They all have a few drinks and are having a great time dancing, singing, and being out for the first time without their babies. 

Winnie is uncomfortable, though, leaving Midas in the hands of a stranger, so she ends up leaving the bar early.

And upon her return to her apartment, discovers that Alma is asleep and the baby is gone!!

What follows next will test the May Mothers' marriages and friendships, and secrets will be exposed.  Where is baby Midas??

MY THOUGHTS

Wow...talk about a psychological twist.  The book opens in the first person and the reader isn't exactly sure just which mother is speaking.  You are going to assume it's a certain mom but later in the book you discover just who it is.  It will definitely surprise you.

This book has very rich character development.  It just is so perfect for today's modern mommy.  The author did an excellent job in describing what so many modern mother's face:  fears, love, conflict between career and being home, marital issues, daycare issues, money issues.  It's all there.  And it's so well done.

It's a mystery but it's also a social commentary on just what it means to be a good mother.

It's definitely a page-turner and I was up very late each night to try to figure out what happened to baby Midas.  The reader is kept guessing up until the very end.  It will totally surprise you.

I thought it was going to go one way and I was completely wrong....so it is NOT predictable which I loved.

Some of the issues that come up in this book are:  sexual harassment, post-partum depression,  mental illness, grief, loss, adultery, career vs. stay at home. 

I hope the author is planning on writing more novels because she is excellent!

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.