School for Good Mothers Review

Trigger Warning: There are mentions of suicide in this review.

In my English class, we had to read a book by Jessamine Chan, and I thought why not review it right here? I've always wanted to review a book, I just never got around to it. I thought about being one of those YouTuber book reviewers, but realized I'm better with words than cameras haha.

Jessamine Chan is actually coming to my English class via Zoom and is kind enough to talk with us about her book, so I figure this is a great prerequisite to get ready for that.

I want to start with the main conflict of the story which is that the protagonist, Frida, is in the midst of losing custody of her daughter. She left her for a couple hours and suddenly she's being taken to this school to learn how to be a better mother. I think the emotion is evoked so well. I feel for Frida right away. I feel horrible for her. I'm not a mother, and I can't directly know how she feels, but I know that she is regretful for what she did and that she would do anything to have her daughter. If there's one thing that keeps me reading, it's my attachment to the character and my connection to them. This book made me FEEL, which is a key element; at least to me.

In the story, the school for all the mothers has them use robotic (yet very life-like) children and become the mothers of them for practice. It amazed me how life-like they were. I admit I was creeped out at first, but they grew on me after a while. They were creepy in that they literally resembled the mothers' children they left behind. In a way, having the children be robotic made me feel for Frida even more because knowing she could love a child who isn't technically even real makes losing an actual child seem unbearable. The robot twist also had me wondering if it was saying anything about technology in the modern world.

I liked how Chan included a lot of modern themes such as racism and mental illness. The mental illness stuck with me the most since I like to write that and I feel it isn't written about enough. Meryl, one of the characters, commits suicide near the end, and it's horrible. What I think is worth pointing out is that the mothers might've not been mentally ill before coming into the school for good mothers. I like its depiction of mentally healthy people becoming mentally ill due to situational things such as losing their children. Losing a child or another improbable situation like that can drive someone to want to die. Anyone can feel suicidal, and a lot of people feel it, yet I feel like mental illness is portrayed as a weakness and that only some are born with it. I like that this shows there's more to it. I do however wish it was showed more as a strength. In the end, Frida runs away with her daughter knowing she'll be caught and in a way it feels like a suicide mission to me. I wish it was the flip-side.

Frida is Asian, and the reason I'm mentioning this is because I've noticed in most books readers assume the main character is white. At least I can admit to that. It seems writers have to specifically say "Asian" whereas writers who use white characters rarely have to mention they're white; it's assumed. I hope this is something that changes. I hate how differences have to be pointed out; I wish we could all just see each other equally. Chan shouldn't be applauded for having an Asian character. She should be applauded for her character, regardless of what race she is.

Going back to the ending, I still don't really know how I feel about it. I feel like Frida didn't change that much, and I wanted her to. I wonder if it's just me as a reader wanting the best for her and the disappointment from not seeing that. I don't know. It got me thinking about quality of life. Why was a little bit of time with her daughter worth more time in jail or prison? Why didn't she wait longer?

Overall this book got me thinking about what lengths I would go for my child. I haven't had one, so I can't answer that. But it has got me thinking. First off, it makes me feel so grateful for the parents I do have. Frida's parents didn't really get close with her, and I'm grateful I'm pretty close with my family.

I'm also honestly scared to be a mom someday because it's crazy what one little mistake can do. In my neighborhood not horribly long ago, some parents lost sight of a little kid for hardly any time at all, and the kid drowned and died in the lake behind their house. It terrifies me to know what even one minute could do. Yet thinking about the love Frida had for Emmanuel (her robotic child), seeing the love for her own daughter, it made me realize that love is worth it. And going back on the ending, maybe it wasn't a suicide mission. Maybe it was just a mother thinking even one minute of love was worth ten-plus years without. Maybe she just had love on her mind.

Another thing I want to bring up is that while at the school, mothers weren't allowed to do anything for themselves. They couldn't fall in love or have any other distractions. And there were guards. I think it was to make it seem like prison but also to say something about how mothers don't have time to care for themselves. Maybe Frida going away for a second wasn't selfish at all, or maybe it was. It brings up a good question.

Also, the fathers had a school as well, but it was way smaller and had way less rules. I think it's saying something about feminism in that women are thought to be the main ones responsible for the children. It's saying men get off easier. The reason Frida left was for work purposes outside her home, so is it saying she's being punished for not staying in the home with the baby like a "woman" is supposed to do? I hope that after reading this, people can also see this parallel and see women as more equal.

If this story taught me anything, it's that children can drastically alter decision making and our character. Love is a powerful thing.

Ultimately Chan kept my attention from getting me to care about Frida. I couldn't connect directly, but she got me thinking about my future and about my own parents now.

It still amazes me how one work of fiction can turn into something so real for so many readers, and for modern society as well.

Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365.