I am embarrassed to report that I am just now following up on a promise that I made more than a month ago. It takes me a bit longer to read these days, given that I can only read about 5 pages at a time while hiding in the bathroom trying to trick SUB into thinking that mommy isn’t really in the bathroom. No, that isn’t her toes you see under the door…shush now…go play…

Then to make matters worse, I was smack dab in the middle of some major momma drama between Amanda and Thea (I won’t spoil it, but I promise you won’t see it coming!) when SUB thought it would be funny to hide the book from mommy when I wasn’t looking. The book was found in the bottom drawer of his dresser, but that’s another story for another time.

So anyway, I promised that I would give a review on The Other Mother for all of you, so here it comes. First a quick synopsis:

Amanda is a successful book editor at a prominent publishing house in New York City. Thea is a stay-at-home mother of three who has never really left the community in which she grew up. Amanda, eight months’ pregnant with her first child, and her husband move in next door to Thea and her family, and the two women find themselves both drawn to and repelled by each other and their opposing choices in the constant struggle to balance career and family life.

When a disaster forces Amanda and her family to take refuge in Thea’s home, the underlying tensions simmering between them are forced to the surface-and even more so when Thea fills in as Amanda’s temporary nanny. But once dead animals start appearing on Thea’s front porch-surely a macabre gift from Amanda?-the battle with “the other mother” begins in earnest.

As a Work-at-home mom, I always feel like I am in a gray area. I can totally sympathize with the stay-at-home moms but at the same time I can’t really imagine what I would do if I wasn’t working. So in that respect, I understand the plight of the working moms. This book really touches on some of the deepest issues that come with motherhood, and no matter what side you belong to, you can really get a feel for the other sides life. The characters are vulnerable and don’t have all the answers- which is very true to life. The author captures so many little things about motherhood that are so hard to put into words. From the drunk feeling you get when you have the baby on your boob, to the overwhelming fear you feel when you leave your little one with someone for the first time. (Which I still have yet to do!)

It’s a great read- and I recommend that you all go check it out on Amazon now! Go now! I’ll still be here…hopefully your kids will leave you alone long enough to read your copy.