The Nursery

The School for Good Mothers is a novel that explores maternal fear and the myth of idyllic early motherhood. It follows a mother in a cramped New York apartment, struggling to adapt to her role as the silent interpreter of her newborn's needs. When her upstairs neighbor, Peter, offers her a lifeline, they are both confined to the oppressive apartment building and running out of time. The book is a mesmerizing portrait of the first days of motherhood, somber and joyful, sly and earnest, nimble and painstaking, perverse and profoundly invigorating.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 04 May 2023
Publisher: Oneworld Publications

The School for Good Mothers is a novel by Jessamine Chan that was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2023. It is an unforgettable tale that delves into the realm of maternal fear and the myth of idyllic early motherhood.

The story takes place in a cramped New York apartment, where a mother is struggling to adapt to her role as the silent interpreter of her newborn baby's needs. She is not the first woman to give birth, hold, carry, soothe, and cradle, but the walls of her home seem to press ever closer as she balances on the fragile tightrope between maternal instinct and the longing for all she has left behind.

As the oppressive August heat bears down on her, a lifeline emerges in the form of her ailing upstairs neighbor, Peter. Peter, who is confined to his oxygen tank, hushes the baby with his tank in tow. They are both confined to this oppressive apartment building, and they are both running out of time. Something is soon to crack.

In this mesmerizing portrait of the first days of motherhood, Szilvia Molnar lays bare the strength it takes to redefine who you are, rediscovering the simple pleasures of life along the way. The book is a blend of somber and joyful, sly and earnest, nimble and painstaking, perverse and profoundly invigorating.

Lydia Kiesling, an award-winning author of The Golden State, praised The School for Good Mothers as "a book that will stay with you long after you've closed the pages." She described it as "at once somber and joyful, sly and earnest, nimble and painstaking, perverse and profoundly invigorating."

The School for Good Mothers is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what it means to be a mother, or for those who are simply seeking a powerful and captivating story that will leave a lasting impression.

Weight: 322g
Dimension: 224 x 148 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780861544929