The School for Good Mothers

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The School for Good Mothers
First edition
AuthorJessamine Chan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
4 January 2022

The School for Good Mothers is a 2022 debut novel by American writer Jessamine Chan, published by Simon & Schuster. The novel concerns a woman, Frida, who is sentenced to a period at an experimental facility intended to rehabilitate mothers accused of even minor parenting infractions.

Writing and composition[edit]

Chan began writing the novel in 2014.[1] Chan was inspired to write about motherhood and parenting due to her anxiety over whether or not to have a child.[2] Two articles published in The New Yorker, one by Rachel Aviv concerning a mother's experience with family courts, and a second by Margaret Talbot about an effort in Providence to close the "word gap", both informed Chan as she wrote the story.[1][3] The novel includes a large cast of characters, and Chan found creating unique, full-fledged personalities for the mothers at the titular facility "quite challenging".[4] Chan set portions of the novel in Philadelphia, where she lived before moving to Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Chan and her agent, Kaffel Simonoff, revised the novel together before submitting it to publishers.[6]

Critical reception[edit]

According to the online review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received mostly favorable reviews from critics.[7] In a positive review for The New York Times Book Review, Molly Young wrote that the novel "recalls" works by Kazuo Ishiguro and Philip K. Dick, qualifying that nonetheless "[...] Chan’s novel is too original to come off as a purée of influences."[8]

The School for Good Mothers has received comparisons, due to its subject matter and thematic content, to the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Canadian author Margaret Atwood.[9][10] Chan has said the comparisons are "thrilling beyond [her] wildest dreams".[2]

The novel was longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[11]

Adaptation[edit]

Through her production company, Freckle Films, actress and producer Jessica Chastain purchased the rights to adapt the novel as a television series.[12] Jude Weng will direct the show.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Eng, Viviane (27 January 2022). "The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jessamine Chan". PEN America. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b LaFleur, Margaret. ""Writing about motherhood provides a great vantage point from which to write about society": An Interview with Jessamine Chan". Ploughshares. Archived from the original on 2022-01-04.
  3. ^ Gilbert, Sophie (25 January 2022). "The Redemption of the Bad Mother". The Atlantic. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  4. ^ Rankin, Seija (5 January 2022). "What's in a Page: Jessamine Chan on the making of 'The School for Good Mothers'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. (2 January 2022). "Jessamine Chan lived in Philly long enough to set her dystopian novel about mothers here". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ Dwyer, Kate (25 August 2022). "How to Get Published: A Book's Journey From 'Very Messy' Draft to Best Seller". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Book Marks reviews of The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan". Book Marks. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Young, Molly (11 January 2022). "A Chilling Debut Novel Puts Mothers Under Surveillance and Into Parenting Rehab". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. ^ Klein, Julia M. (28 January 2022). "The Reeducation of a Mom in Jessamine Chan's Debut Novel". Chicago Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  10. ^ "'The School for Good Mothers' offers a chilling look at the perils of 'perfect' parenting". KMUW. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  11. ^ "2023 Winners". American Library Association. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  12. ^ White, Peter (3 January 2022). "Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films To Adapt Jessamine Chan's 'The School For Good Mothers' As Series With Jude Weng & Endeavor Content". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  13. ^ White, Peter (2022-01-03). "Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films To Adapt Jessamine Chan's 'The School For Good Mothers' As Series With Jude Weng & Endeavor Content". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-06-02.


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