Mothersick (A Novel)

From the acclaimed author of Piglet (“luscious and propulsive,” Catherine Newman) comes an expansive intergenerational drama about the making and breaking of families, for readers of Paul Murray and Claire Lombardo.

When their parents’ marriage abruptly imploded, sisters Mara and Nell made a pact: no husbands, no babies, and no repeating their parents’ mistakes. But when Mara unexpectedly falls in love and becomes a mother just as Nell’s life is spiraling out of control, they find themselves at cosmic forks in the road. Their pact is officially broken, and their once unshakable bond is fractured beyond recognition.

As motherhood cleaves Mara in two, Nell throws herself into a relationship with a dreamboat of a man she barely knows without asking whether they really want the same things. Meanwhile, just when they need her the most, their mother moves halfway around the world, leaving her sister, Jean, to pick up the pieces. Jean holds the delicate balance of this family in her hands, but as old scars from a childhood tragedy resurface, the secrets they’ve all been keeping are soon impossible to ignore.

A profound and stylish modern family story, Mothersick traces the lives of four fierce women—two sets of sisters across two generations—exploring the enduring and infuriating spell of sisterhood and the beauty, captivity, and optimism of family in its many forms.