"THE MOTHER ZONE: Love, Sex, and Laundry in the Modern Family"

by Marni Jackson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 25, 1992

An account of becoming and being a mother that reads like a novel and is as intimate as a poem. Books about motherhood abound, from the intellectual heights of writers like Adrienne Rich to the sentimental domestic dramas of Louisa May Alcott. But almost none capture the daily-ness of being a mom like this memoir from Canadian free-lance writer Jackson (Rolling Stone, Toronto Life, etc.). Jackson describes motherhood as ""not a separate, pastel wing of emotion, [but] a relationship as tricky and passionate as any other kind of love."" The author's entry into motherhood began when she found her mate, a musician-turned-writer, and persuaded him of the importance of having a baby. Their son, Casey, was born when Jackson was 36. The boy is only nine years old now, and the writer still has a long way to go as a mother--but before ""amnesia sets in,"" she's tried to record what the experience has been like so far. With a gift for metaphor, good humor, and remarkable honesty, she calls up the feelings and the minutiae of motherhood: The erotic and spiritual satisfaction of melding her self with a tiny human being; the pain of trying to keep from losing that self;, the loneliness and isolation; the ""Russian novel in progress"" that is the saga of raising children and establishing a family, with each day ""a series of improvisations."" Though strongest in its earlier chapters, when Jackson's raw material is at its most dramatic, this wonderful self-portrait of emotional life in the mother zone provides solace and surprises from start to finish.

Pub Date: Nov. 25, 1992

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1992

Categories: NONFICTION