There is at least a football field between what society tells women they should feel about motherhood and how many actually do. In Nightbitch, Rachel There is at least a football field between what society tells women they should feel about motherhood and how many actually do. In Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder, deftly explores this field.
The unnamed mother (MM) left behind a fulfilling career as an artist to care full-time for her child. Full-time parenting is not a 9-5 gig. For MM, whose husband travels out of town for work Monday- Friday, full time parenting is a solo and round-the-clock gig.
MM has no permission to complain:
If she read the articles, examined the data, contemplated her lot in life, her place in society, her historical role in the oppression of everyone other than white men, she really had not even a sparse spot of yard on which to stand and emit one single strangled scream.
When asked how she is enjoying motherhood, Nightbitch wants to respond:
It’s complicated. I am now a person I never imagined I would be, and I don’t know to square that. I would like to be content, but instead I am stuck inside a prison of my own creation, where I torment myself endlessly, until I am left binge-eating Fig Newtons at midnight to keep from crying. I feel as though societal norms, gendered expectations, and the infuriating bluntness of biology have forced me to become this person even though I am having a hard time parsing how, precisely, I arrived at this place. I am angry all the time. I would one day like to direct my own artwork towards a critique of these modern-day systems that articulates all this, by my brain no longer functions as it did before the baby, and I am really dumb now. I am afraid I will never be smart or happy or thin again. I am afraid I might be turning into a dog. Instead, she said smiling, I love it. I love being a mom
MM/Nightbitch discovers a book that helps her make sense of her experience that includes this passage:
� the unbelievable is not only credible but essential, and has a very real place in the world. I will go as far as to attest that the unbelievable is another way of knowing, an organizing principle that does not run in contradiction to but, rather, in communion with the organizing paradigms of science. The unbelievable, while perhaps not communicating straightforward truths, can communicate deeper truths if a person is willing to be patient, to listen, to contemplate.
Yoder uses sarcasm and magical realism to portray the character’s conflicted feelings about motherhood and communicate the truth of her experience. I highly recommend this novel, especially to those whose lived experience runs counters to society’s norms, in any way....more
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I enjoyed the ending (view spoiler)[because Eve, Rosie and her mother finally confronted their grief and mended their relationship. I loved that Eve evolved from blaming others for her unsatisfying relationships/life to acknowledging her part and making changes. (hide spoiler)] I would recommend this novel as an endearing and sweet read....more
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In Here One Moment the "Death Lady" doles out "age of death and cause of death" to passengers on a plane-whether they want to hear it or not. This novel was intriguing- Who is this Death Lady? Why did she make these predictions? Is she accurate? Good or evil? How do the passengers react? How are they impacted by these decrees?
Like many novels by Moriarty, this one was light but thought provoking. Raises lots of questions about fate, destiny, what is in our control and what is not. What would you do differently when faced with your own mortality? I enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to fans of Moriarty....more
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