LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER, a novel by Susan Rieger is without a doubt a novel about family. While the story opens in 1960 when Lila Pereira was two years old, what happened two years prior might be the answer to unanswered questions that followed her and that of her daughters for years to come. In 1960 her mother vanished from the family home. Her abusive father told her and her brother that her sister had been committed to an asylum and that she died there. Lila never saw her again. While Lila went on to build a successful life, her mothering skills were at best lacking. Fortunately, she had married a man who was willing to be the mother and father to their three children. Only the youngest, Grace, resented Lila. Why couldn't Lila have been the mother Grace craved? This was not all Grace wondered about. Why did Lila never find proof of what happened to her mother?
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER spans three generations not only Grace's family but also that of her best friend Ruth's. While Ruth's history is different from Grace's, her past, too, is murky.
There is a great deal that happens in this fascinating character-driven saga. The large cast of characters is three-dimensional, each with a unique personality. The past plays heavily on the present. The characters' interpersonal relationships are skillfully presented and the dialogue is crisp and intelligent.
In LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER the power of family and of each members role within the family can never be underestimated. Expertly crafted, this memorable story is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.
Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blond hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.
But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents’ dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?
Spanning generations, and populated by complex, unforgettable characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we’re meant to be.
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