Career and Kids

The Other Mother

by elizabeth on October 30th, 2007

The ongoing “Mommy Wars” said to be between mothers who work outside the home, and, mothers who do not work outside the home has spawned several books as of late. Many of the books are non-fiction, and, we’re starting to see more fiction covering the topic.

I received a copy of one such fiction book, The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross for review.

The Other Mother is the story of two neighbors, Amanda, a working mother of a young baby, and, Thea, a stay at home mother of three. The story alternates chapter from their points of view.

They each have their struggles, and, wrestle with their perceptions of each other’s choices.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was well written, easy to read, and, the characters are realistic, and, the descriptions detailed.

Both characters are in need of a friend, but, their choices may be holding them apart, and, perhaps they are more alike than they realize. However, they are anxious not to reveal anything that would make the other think they are second guessing their own choices.

But, I’m still not sure what I think about the requisite cliches that are pulled out, even when that is the point of the story. It may be that I just don’t usually spend a lot of time thinking about working or not working outside the home, and, I’ve not analyzed it deeply.

I’m not wild about the age old stereotype of a stay at home mother (in this book, I think it might have been her mother who said it) thinking about a working mother: “Why have children if you’re just let other people raise them?”

Even though it happens all the time, I think that is demeaning to both working and stay at home mothers. I guess I wish people would move beyond that, and, not give it the attention it gets.

However, the book shows us that everyone is prone to both trying to justify and second guess big decisions, and, that life is all about trying to find what works for you.

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POSTED IN: Books