Like Mother, Like Mother

I picked this book up based on the mother-daughter/multi-generational family saga vibe. I was expecting a Kirsten Miller-type read (The Change, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books) filled with a story with great topics and cast of interesting characters. And this story had both aspects and then some. 

Like Mother, Like Mother is told in three parts and follows three generations of women - Lila, her daughter Grace and Lila's mother, Zelda who went missing decades before. With its huge cast (take advantage of the character listing!), this book tackles important topics affecting women, relationships and the impact of trauma.

The strongest part of the book for me was Lila's story. Lila will be a polarizing character. She was an absolute force; she made many mistakes and accomplished many successes (in parts of her life) and didn't apologize for any of it. She knew who she was, and I found her fascinating despite her shortcomings as a wife and mother. She was a complex character who wasn't likeable, but I understood how she developed into the woman/mother/wife/sister she became.

The second part that focuses on Grace was much less riveting with its strong focus on US politics (timely with their election and with a Trump-like character t'boot) but this section dragged for me. It felt like more attention was given to Grace's university roommate Ruth. I didn't connect with Grace, or her story and I found myself skimming part of Grace's section.

The final section goes back to the original mystery of what happened to Zelda, Lila's mother who was committed to an asylum and then vanished. The idea of this mystery is what kept me reading and, in the end, it was a decent conclusion. 

This is a character-driven story filled with important topics - gender stereotypes in parenting, misogyny, and the impact of intergenerational trauma and abuse - which gives great fodder to book clubs. But while I appreciate the topics raised, the slow pacing and dialogue-heavy writing style were a miss for me. 

Final Thoughts:

Liked: social topics, strong female characters, mystery of Zelda

Okay: character-driven story

Nope: pacing and dialogue-heavy style of writing, US politics

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Susan Rieger

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: The Dial Press

First Published: October 29, 2024

Read: Oct 24 - 28, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.

“A novel in the spirit of Meg Wolitzer, Jean Hanff Korelitz, and the great Nora Ephron. Who says comedy is dead? It’s all here—the joyful craziness, the wisecracking newswoman, the family secrets with a twist of lime.”—Allegra Goodman, bestselling author of Sam

Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blonde hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.

But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House Correspondents dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she pushes back, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother, but, in the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?

Spanning generations, and populated by unforgettable, complex characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, searching portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell in order to become the people we believe we’re meant to be.