In a taut and explosive debut novel, Jessamine Chan takes us on a journey of race, family, and social class in China today. Frida Liu is struggling to survive in contemporary Shanghai. She doesn’t have money for the expensive private school her parents want her to attend, but she does have Harriet, her daughter. Only with Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her. When Gust takes up with a younger woman, Frida’s only recourse is to place Harriet into custody—and hope it’s enough to save them all.
A heartbreaking story about a mother’s tragic struggle to assert her daughter’s worth and claim her place in the world. In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance. Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. Worse, she can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her.
What starts as a simple day of childcare turns into something much more complicated when government agents arrive at the family’s door. With only their angelic daughter Harriet to rely on, Frida and Gust Liu must fight to save themselves while fighting for their little girl.
In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance. Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. What’s worse is she can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress.
About The School for Good Mothers Book
In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.
Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. Worse, she can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she’s just enough.
Until Frida has a horrible day.
The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida — ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words, mothers who only have one lapse of judgement. Now, a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers — that she can learn to be good.
This propulsive, witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect” upper-middle-class parenting, the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other, and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter.
