Review: "Mothers & Other Liars" by Amy Bourret

You'll have to forgive me my lack of book-related postings this week. I am, without a doubt, absolutely exhausted, and quite frankly a little cranky. My new job description has me getting up earlier than usual (I was up at 5:30 AM yesterday morning. There's not enough caffeine in the world for that time in the morning!). One son is in school full time and the other had his first day of Senior Kindergarten this week, so there are lunches to pack and homework to supervise. My husband has been running around like crazy trying to get everything done before he starts his new job on Monday, and since he's understandably a little stressed out right now, I have to be the calming presence. I made time to visit a friend this morning because it's her son's first day of Junior Kindergarten and she was sad to let go of her youngest. On top of that, I've had to try to keep up with all of my duties around the house- someone needs to do the laundry and clean the bathroom! So although I have a few books patiently waiting to be reviewed, I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It's all I can do to make it to 10:00 PM, when I can collapse in bed and catch an old episode of Glee (yup, I'm a Gleek) or The Simpsons. I hold out hope that things will be a little calmer, and a little easier, next week.

For now, though, I want to share with you an absolutely amazing book that I read last week. Mothers & Other Liars by Amy Bourret has been on my wish list since I saw it at my local drugstore. The calming cover just drew me in, and I was thrilled to see that my library had a copy. The book tells the fictional story of Ruby Leander and her daughter Lark. Since they arrived nine years ago in their little New Mexico town, Lark just a baby at the time and Ruby 19 years old and single, the two have made a life for themselves. They have friends, Ruby has a job doing nails at the local salon, and she has a loving boyfriend of 3 years, Chaz. Ruby is pregnant with Chaz's baby when she sees an article in a tabloid detailing something that happened 9 years ago. Ruby's life is ripped to shreds as she has to recall what happened to her then, and the life-altering decision that she made.

It's next to impossible to review this book without giving away spoilers, but I've decided to be deliberately vague. The events that occur in this story are part of what made it so compelling, so forgive me if I sound confusing. What I can tell you is that I was unable to put Mothers down. I was hooked. When I wasn't reading it, I thought about it. I tried to figure out how it was going to end, and truth be told, I couldn't even figure out how I wanted it to end (note: I was very happy with the ending. It wasn't wrapped up too neatly, and it made sense.). The main character, Ruby, is experiencing a moral dilemma throughout the book. She's asking herself hard questions and finding out some personal truths. I don't know how I would have reacted in her situation, and I loved that about this book. I was able to put myself in her shoes.

Mothers was alternately sad, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and shocking. It has skyrocketed onto the list of my favourites of 2010, and I'll be recommending it to everyone that will listen to me (you've been warned). I would say that this book will especially appeal to mothers in any form, but truly it has the power to affect a far larger group than that. And once you've read it? Drop me a line (jonitathebookchick(at)gmail(dot)com) and we'll discuss it. This one would make a fantastic book club pick.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Mothers, women, fans of thought-provoking women's fiction
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010