O Mother

From the acclaimed author of Heaven and Daddy Boy.

Emerson Whitney didn’t plan to go home. After a childhood shaped by their mother’s addiction and heartbreaks, keeping their distance felt safer. They built a life far away, working constantly and ignoring the searing pain of a chronic disorder. But their body had other plans. When exhaustion finally forced them to stop, Emerson turned east at last, toward home, toward their mom.

O Mother brings us back into Emerson Whitney’s generous, searching mind as they return to the rural Maine island of their childhood, of sea spray and lobster pots and ship-themed home decor. Visions of a different future begin to flood in, of them and their mom living side by side, peaceful at last, tending to chickens and watching reality TV.

But Emerson's return does not go as planned. Despite being just a few miles away, their mother is distant, hard to pin down, and they struggle to connect. Emerson can tell something is off, but old patterns are hard to break. When Emerson receives the devastating news of their mother’s suicide, they begin to trace her story back, unraveling the hidden forces that conspired to make her life unlivable. What follows is an exploration into disability, diagnosis, and self-acceptance.

With a sensitive eye to the world, Emerson seeks to understand their mom’s complicated fate, and wonders what, if anything, it might teach them about their own future.