Ilana Masad

This was such a powerful read. We meet Maggie, a 20-something, queer, Jewish woman, who is dealing with the grief of suddenly losing her mother, Iris. As she processes her loss, she learns more about who Iris really was, thanks to letters left behind in her family home.

Maggie and her mother had a tumultuous history, especially when it came to her mother's acceptance of Maggie's sexuality. As Maggie learns more about her Iris through these letters, secrets are exposed and misunderstandings show more are slowly untangled.

All My Mother's Lovers is a refreshing look at the intricacies of family and how sometimes peeling back the layers on others can help us better understand ourselves too. While I couldn't relate to all of Maggie's life experiences, anyone who has navigated complex family dynamics will connect with at least some of the myriad of issues presented here.

Ilana Masad's detailed and nuanced writing masterfully shares the intricacies of family life and the challenges of feeling misunderstood. This book celebrates and normalizes diversity and I appreciated how many social issues Masad incorporated in this literary fiction debut. I enjoyed being a part of Maggie's journey and only wished the ending was a little more fleshed out as I connected so much with this powerful and unique storyline.

Thank you to Dutton Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. You can read my full review at genthebookworm.com show less

This is a remarkably suspenseful novel of a mysterious mom who leaves notes for five men in her will. Daughter Maggie, after the sudden death of her mother Iris in a car accident, decides to visit the men instead of mailing the five letters. As she travels through Southern California, Maggie is also nervous about her relationship with her girlfriend back in St. Louis, and about how her father has gone catatonic since he lost his wife. There are many surprises and revelations and they are show more skillfully unpeeled. Most memorable! show less

What a book. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, and still couldn't see too far ahead even as I was reading. But what makes this novel great isn't even the plot so much as it is the characters who are so well thought and fleshed out that you feel like you know them. The story is interesting and keeps you wanting more, but I found that the characters and interactions between them were what I couldn't get enough of.

This was a really good debut novel, and a great start to my Pride Month reading. I loved the character of Maggie, slowly coming to terms with the truncated relationship with her deceased mother. It was fascinating to follow along as Maggie learns about and comes to understand her mother's unorthodox life choices, though each of those side stories left me wanting more details and more depth. Unfortunately, the book just kind of ended abruptly, without actually wrapping up all of the loose show more ends, leaving many unanswered questions and dangling story threads. Still, a really enjoyable and fast-paced read. show less