Good Mothers Don’t
“Laura Best’s remarkable talent radiates from every page of this novel, the story of Elizabeth and her journey to reclaim herself and her family after a long sickness. This is a riveting exploration of mental illness and the devastation it brings to the lives of women, children and the poor. Told through a chorus of voices, Best weaves a hypnotically beautiful and intimate narrative, capturing the anguish and joy in the everyday, and the otherworldly. An unlikely page turner replete with hushed surprises, unexpected crescendos, endless love and boundless vitality.”
–Christy Ann Conlin, bestselling author of Heave and Watermark
“Running deeper than the memory of home, only the body memory of maternal love survives the far-reaching ravages of mental illness which set a mother adrift from herself and her family in this crushingly beautiful novel. Laura Best shows the power of words to resurrect what gets lost to ideas and expectations of ‘how a mother should be’ and the stigma that surrounds all of this. This is a riveting, fearless book shot through with compassion. I loved it. I couldn’t put it down.”
–Carol Bruneau, award-winning author of A Circle on the Surface
“Laura Best ferries us along on a journey both compassionate and compelling. She explores the relationship between memory and self, between what we know and who we are. Her voices are clear and true and true and tough as hope. Here is a writer you can trust to carry you away and bring you safe home.”
–Linda Little, award-winning author of Scotch River and Grist