This Mother’s Life
by Nina Mohadjer
Paperback, 178 pages, $12.95
Infinity Publishing, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0741467102
http://www.ninamohadjer.com/This-Mother-s-Life.html

Reviewed by Molly Remer, Talk Birth

This Mother’s Life is a novel in diary format about a woman, the mother of two teenage girls,  who is going through a separation from her husband as well as through job changes. We follow her experiences with dating some other men and seeking a new job as well as her musings about motherhood, marriage, women’s rights, and life caught between two cultures (she and her husband are originally from Iran).

There is a higher than average number of minor errors in word choice and writing mechanics in the book and I stumbled over things such as a continued use of the word “loosing” instead of “losing.” The overall tone of the book is lightweight, casual, and surface, while at the same time feeling somewhat depressing. The narrator’s voice is often extremely plaintive.

This Mother’s Life is also bitingly funny in places–a favorite section, with regard to her mother-in-law’s questions: “Amir’s mom asks me constantly whether I take care of her son! I mean, hello, I should be responsible for my girls and not for wrapping your son’s penis in blue silk, right? Did I get a lifetime companion or a forty-year-old baby?”

Women looking for a quick read that touches lightly on some of the challenges of modern motherhood, will probably recognize something of themselves and their own struggles in This Mother’s Life.

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Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.