Nadia may not have a surprising arc, but she feels every minute of it deeply and profoundly.' Bethanne Patrick further praised the writing in The Washington Post, 'Bennett has written that rare combination: a book that feels alive on the page and rich for later consideration.' Bennett’s ability to unwind them gently, offering insights both shocking and revelatory, has a striking effect.' Reni Eddo-Lodge reviewed the book for The Guardian: ' The Mothers is a beautifully written, sad and lingering book – an impressive debut for such a young writer.' Constance Grady praised Bennett's writing in Vox: 'What elevates the book are the emotional underpinnings of each character, and Bennett’s lively, precise voice.

In a positive review for The New York Times Book Review Mira Jacob wrote, 'Despite Bennett’s thrumming plot, despite the snap of her pacing, it’s the always deepening complexity of her characters that provides the book’s urgency. The book generated buzz prior to its release, and received critical acclaim. Literary agent Julia Kardon read the essay and contacted Bennett to offer her representation to write and sell a book, which became her manuscript, The Mothers. In 2014 Bennett published a viral essay on called 'I Don’t Know What to Do With Good White People', shortly after the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Bennett continued to work on the novel after leaving for college and while completing her MFA at University of Michigan. Nadia's hometown is based on Bennett's hometown of Oceanside, California, an ethnically-diverse beach town. She used many elements of her own life to craft the narrative she and the protagonist, Nadia, were both high-achievers who maintained close ties to their families even after leaving home for college.

Background īennett began writing the novel when she was 17 years old. The book includes themes of Christianity in the context of the Black church, shame, and motherhood. In her adulthood Nadia has to return to her hometown for a family emergency and reckon with her past. Years later, her Christian friend Aubrey begins dating and then marries Luke. She has an abortion and leaves her hometown to attend University of Michigan.

Living in Southern California, 17-year-old Nadia, grieving her mother's suicide, becomes pregnant by her boyfriend Luke, a local pastor's son. A film adaptation is being produced by Kerry Washington's production company Simpson Street. The Mothers, released on Octoby Riverhead Books, received critical acclaim and was a New York Times bestseller. The book follows Nadia, a young woman who left her Southern California hometown years ago after the suicide of her mother and is called back to attend to a family emergency. The Mothers is a debut novel by Brit Bennett.

Butterball by Brit Bennett