Book Log 2023 #4: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Frida is a new mom, who, like most new moms, finds tending to her child exhausting. When she leaves the child unattended for a couple of hours to see to herself, she is caught and sentenced to the titular school, where instructors (none of whom actually appear to be mothers themselves) will re-educate Frida so she doesn't make the same mistake twice.

This is the very basic outline Chan's debut novel, which in its satire of mommy culture and government/family dynamics also ventures into issues of gender (notably in interactions with the school for fathers) and race (not surprisingly, non-white mothers have a much harder time at the school and with the system in general). There is a distinct Handmaid's Tale vibe, though it's hard to say if the draconian nature of the school extends into other facets of the government.

I'm guessing I would have gotten more out of the book if I were a mother, or even a woman considering having children (which is where Chan was when she started writing). I don't think you have to be a mother to feel for the characters or understand the tensions in the story, but I have to think that being able to see yourself in Frida or one of the other mothers would open up another level of connection.