The School for Good Mothers

The School for Good Mothers is a 2022 debut novel by American writer Jessamine Chan. The novel concerns a woman, Frida, who is sentenced to a period at an experimental facility intended to rehabilitate mothers accused of even minor parenting infractions.

The School for Good Mothers
First edition
AuthorJessamine Chan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
4 January 2022

Writing and composition

Chan began writing the novel in 2014.[1] Chan was inspired to write about motherhood and parenting due to her anxiety over whether or not to have a child.[2] Two articles published in The New Yorker, one by Rachel Aviv concerning a mother's experience with family courts, and a second by Margaret Talbot about an effort in Providence to close the "word gap", both informed Chan as she wrote the story.[1][3] The novel includes a large cast of characters, and Chan found creating unique, full-fledged personalities for the mothers at the titular facility "quite challenging".[4] Chan set portions of the novel in Philadelphia, where she lived before moving to Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Chan and her agent, Kaffel Simonoff, revised the novel together before submitting it to publishers.[6]

Critical reception

In a positive review for The New York Times Book Review, Molly Young wrote that the novel "recalls" works by Kazuo Ishiguro and Philip K. Dick, qualifying that nonetheless "[...] Chan’s novel is too original to come off as a purée of influences."[7]

The School for Good Mothers has received comparisons, due to its subject matter and thematic content, to the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Canadian author Margaret Atwood.[8][9] Chan has said the comparisons are "thrilling beyond [her] wildest dreams".[2]

The novel was longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[10]

Adaptation

Through her production company, Freckle Films, actress and producer Jessica Chastain purchased the rights to adapt the novel as a television series.[11] Jude Weng will direct the show.[12]

References
  1. Eng, Viviane (27 January 2022). "The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jessamine Chan". PEN America. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. LaFleur, Margaret. ""Writing about motherhood provides a great vantage point from which to write about society": An Interview with Jessamine Chan". Ploughshares. Archived from the original on 2022-01-04.
  3. Gilbert, Sophie (25 January 2022). "The Redemption of the Bad Mother". The Atlantic. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  4. Rankin, Seija (5 January 2022). "What's in a Page: Jessamine Chan on the making of 'The School for Good Mothers'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. Rosenberg, Amy S. (2 January 2022). "Jessamine Chan lived in Philly long enough to set her dystopian novel about mothers here". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. Dwyer, Kate (25 August 2022). "How to Get Published: A Book's Journey From 'Very Messy' Draft to Best Seller". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. Young, Molly (11 January 2022). "A Chilling Debut Novel Puts Mothers Under Surveillance and Into Parenting Rehab". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  8. Klein, Julia M. (28 January 2022). "The Reeducation of a Mom in Jessamine Chan's Debut Novel". Chicago Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. "'The School for Good Mothers' offers a chilling look at the perils of 'perfect' parenting". KMUW. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  10. "2023 Winners". American Library Association. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  11. White, Peter (3 January 2022). "Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films To Adapt Jessamine Chan's 'The School For Good Mothers' As Series With Jude Weng & Endeavor Content". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  12. White, Peter (2022-01-03). "Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films To Adapt Jessamine Chan's 'The School For Good Mothers' As Series With Jude Weng & Endeavor Content". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-06-02.


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