Motherest

Kristen is a friend of mine, and I felt a strong sense of kinship to her work not only because I admire her personally but also because it deals with so many of my novel’s own themes—grief, family, unplanned pregnancy.

Motherest’s main character, Agnes, is a college student who describes her life on campus, her pregnancy, and the loss of her beloved brother through a combination of traditional narration and a series of letters written with increasing urgency to her absent mom. Agnes’s voice and letters are both hilarious and heartbreaking. Every once in a while, you meet a… show more.

Seemingly abandoned by her own mother after the loss of her brother, eighteen-year-old Agnes confronts what it means to be a mother when she becomes pregnant in her first year of college.

This is such a heartfelt book. A lot of the story is told through Agnes’ diary-like letters to her absent mom. I love this form because at Agnes’ age I wrote many undelivered letters to loved ones. Iskandrian captures so many complex feelings in deceptively simple lines, many of which I highlighted to read again later.

This is a poignant story about motherhood, family bonds, and the ways… show more.