LIKE MOTHER, LIKE MOTHER by Susan Rieger

5 stars

This fabulous three generations of women sage examines how much we inherit from our mothers, like it or not.

The story begins in 1960’s Detroit where Lila Pereira and her two siblings grow up with a constantly angry, deeply physically abusive Dad who has their Mom committed to an asylum as part of his bullying. Having never seen her Mom since age 2, Lila ends up both serving as the lightning rod for her father’s abuse as a protection for her sister and brother, as well as galvanizing herself to escape from his household wrapped in the keen ambition tied to survival.

Lila emboldens herself to put everything she has into rising the ranks of print media to become the executive editor and award winning journalist of D.C.’s Washington Globe, a fictional rival to the Washington Post. Along the way she marries compassionate Joe, who’s the only child of a very wealthy family, and with whom she has three daughters. But the deal is that Joe knows of Lila’s unrelenting ambition and agrees to take on the nurturing parent role.

Grace, their youngest daughter, deeply resents her Mom’s constant absenteeism and parenting by proxy by Joe. Graces feels emotionally neglected, endlessly resentful, and deeply judgmental about her Mom’s perceived parenting failures. Grace also cannot stop wondering about what happened to Lila’s Mom- did she die in the asylum? Escape?  Grace, in an act of rebellion writes a thinly disguised novel about her Mom’s life that becomes the talk of the town.

As Grace goes on the hunt to find out what happened to her grandmother, the revelations pour forth about how many traits these three women share in common, and how this deeply impacts each of their parenting approaches.

Susan Rieger’s writing is moving, lyrical, deeply insightful as she sweeps you into this sprawling family saga. She challenged me to thoughtfully reflect on how I approached parenting my two kids, juggling Mom-hood with professionalism, and the trade-offs inherit in both loving your kids and finding personal fulfillment. A novel that stands out among the best of 2024.

Thanks to Random House, The Dial Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.