Books for Mother’s Day

For the 18th-century lit-loving mom with contemporary tastes:Molly of the Mall by Heidi L.M. Jacobs (NeWest Press)Gift your mom a touch of whimsy and humour with Molly of the Mall: Literary Lass and Purveyor of Fine Footwear, a story that follows aspiring novelist Molly MacGregor who despite being named after Moll Flanders, is very much unlike a literary heroine: Molly sells shoes at a mall in Edmonton, a city she’s deemed as uninspired, and writes term papers instead of books. This novel will whisk mom away in an exploration of love: for language, for the wrong men (and spoiler: the right one), and for home.

For the new mom who doesn’t have the time to read a novel right now:After Birth by Elizabeth Ross (Palimpsest Press)For the new moms in your life, we suggest Elizabeth Ross’ recently published After Birth so she can steal moments of poetry in one hand while rocking baby with the other. This collection captures the fear of mothering and the complicated feelings that occur during and after childbirth while honing in on all things beautiful and corporeal about the experience of birth (so that changing dirty diapers become tender moments of nurturing, hopefully). 

For the teenager-at-heart mom with a rebellious streakWorse Case, We Get Married by Sophie Bienvenu, translated by JC Sutcliffe (Book*hug)Mom might want to buckle up for this coming-of-age tour de force. Worse Case, We Get Married centres on Aïcha a precocious lovesick teenager whose fallen impossibly in love for an older musician after he comes to her rescue. With no male role models in her life, Aïcha’s love only grows into chilling, obsessive desire making this novel a wild ride to the end. Pair with its film counterpart, Et au pire, on se mariera, so mom can say she liked the book better.

For the personal-is-political mom who will fight for women’s rightsMotherhood: The Mother of All Sexism by Marilyse Hamelin, translated by Arielle Aaronson (Baraka Books)For the feminist mom who will take up the cause, gift Motherhood, a deep dive on systemic gender inequality. Referencing numerous studies, stats, and interviews, journalist and blogger Marilyse Hamelin serves to remind us that despite incremental changes in our society, women’s equality is nowhere near where it should be. But she doesn’t stop at a surface assessment: Hamelin proposes solutions in tipping the scales to equality.