That Kind of Mother: A Novel

Rebecca Stone reels from the birth of her son, Jacob, and feels saved by a nurse named Priscilla who teaches her how to breastfeed. Desperate to keep that security, Rebecca invites Priscilla to be Jacob’s nanny, and the women forge a relationship that Rebecca is certain goes deeper than employer/employee. When Priscilla dies giving birth to her own baby, Andrew, Rebecca decides to adopt the child, wildly optimistic that her own love will transcend the fact that the baby is black and she is white. As the years hurry forward, Rebecca struggles to succeed as a mother and as a poet. Her sons grow up; her marriage founders; her poems tell her story. Even as she’s professionally lauded, however, Rebecca must queasily wonder how honest and fair she’s been to those she claims to love most.

A lyrical and at times bracing meditation on motherhood, middle age, and race, That Kind of Mother portrays Rebecca as maddeningly naive even in her moments of stark self-criticism. Prickly ideas are broached but not dwelled on, allowing the galloping of Rebecca’s life to take center stage. Life is difficult; one chooses to submit or persevere. Readers may take issue with Rebecca’s sunny outlook, but most will admire the way she carries on.