All My Mother’s Lovers by Ilana Masad | Review

All My Mother’s Lovers by Ilana Masad (debut)
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: May 26, 2020
Length: 336 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

Maggie, who never quite felt accepted by her mother, takes on a journey to understand why after Iris’s tragic death.

From the Publisher

“Intimacy has always eluded twenty-seven-year-old Maggie Krause—despite being brought up by married parents, models of domestic bliss—until, that is, Lucia came into her life. But when Maggie’s mom, Iris, dies in a car crash, Maggie returns home only to discover a withdrawn dad, an angry brother, and, along with Iris’s will, five sealed envelopes, each addressed to a mysterious man she’s never heard of…”

The Draw

• That cover!
• Daughter’s journey to deliver letters addressed to mysterious men.
• Discoveries of self and a mother’s hidden life.

{My Thoughts}

All My Mother’s Lovers tells the story of 27-year old Maggie and her quest to understand her mother who has just been killed in a car accident. Maggie had not felt as close as she would have liked to her mother for a few reasons. While growing up, Iris had been the main breadwinner for her family. She traveled a lot, so Maggie was much closer to her father and younger bother. Iris could have a hard edge to her and sometimes seemed apart from the rest of the family. And most of all, Iris initially had a very hard time accepting that Maggie was a lesbian. When Maggie first came out as teenager, Iris tried to convince her it might be a phase and openly mourned the difficult life Maggie might face.

Despite Iris’s misgivings, Maggie has found success in her life, both personally and professionally, though her confidence constantly wavers. In the days surrounding her mother’s funeral and sitting shiva, Maggie learns things she never knew about her mother and grieves others she wish had been different. She needs clarity. Her father, Peter, is no help, being nearly catatonic with grief and her brother is simply in a different place with his own grief. Maggie comes across a stack of five letters each addressed to a different man. A note asks that they be mailed in the event of Iris’s death. Maggie, perplexed by the letters and stunned by her grief, decides she must know who these men are. She sets out on a journey to not only deliver the letters, but to ask questions. The answers shock and amaze Maggie, and allow her see both her mother and herself in a whole different light.

“She wonders if there’s a German word, one of those compound nouns that people like to share online, that could describe what she feels, this mix of anger and sadness and fear looming above it all that nothing will ever feel completely normal again.”

I really enjoyed this fresh debut from Ilana Masad. She told a unique, rich story of two women who loved each other, but let space invade their relationship. I loved that she took the time to really explore both women, and to fill the gap between them with revelations about Iris’s life. All My Mother’s Lovers will not be a book for everyone. It is not fast paced, but a slower, steady build. It is a book to savor as you gain each new piece of information, sinking deeper and deeper into the stories of Iris and Maggie. I look forward to reading more from Ilana Masad. Grade: B+

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Brass by Xhenet Aliu – Elsie and Luljeta, mother and daughter, both want more from their lives, but options are limited and their paths woefully narrow. (my review)
• Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe – A coming-of-age story focused on a father/daughter relationship. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from the Dutton Books (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review.