THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER

 This book caught my eye in the public library in May. I was very excited because it is dedicated to mothers! We are all in the Mother’s Day hype. The book offers a contemporary look at a mother and her adult daughter’s relationship. The daughter is an only child in her late thirties, she is in the marketing business. She is divorced with no children. She is not into glamour brands and cosmetics. The little that she knows is through her marketing job. Her father passed away a couple of years ago from pancreatic cancer. Her mother is a very well-known and busy obstetrician and gynecologist. She is in her sixties, she makes good money and also spends it well. Full skincare routine, make-up, glamour, branded clothes, shoes, and handbags. 

The book gives a brief background of how the daughter has been traumatized by her mother’s critical behaviour and has chosen to me to be more withdrawn and hide her opinions. Another factor that came up that traumatized her in her adult life was her divorce from her husband. How things turn another way when her hubby decides to go after his college sweetheart after he finds out that she is divorced knowing he still has feelings for her. The book was published in 2023. It is very modern showing the effect of smartphones and the challenges of modern dating. 

The mother and daughter travel story to France was very interesting. I enjoyed how the different historical sites, cafes and restaurants and food items on the menu were described with detail. I felt like I was there experiencing all the outings, shopping and sightseeing. The mother and daughter managed to have several bonding sessions, several fights but it all made them come closer together. 

They also travelled to Norway where the mother was born and raised until she had immigrated to the USA to go to medical school. Meeting up with her extended family brought them closer. The ending of the book was a bit shocking. However, I enjoyed reading a story about a mother-daughter dynamic, with little episodes of romance here and there. It teaches us that regardless of the conflict and differences we may have as adults with our parents, we should try and reach out to them not take them for granted and spend as much time as possible. 





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