The Mother Act

Reviews

“The Mother Act offers an ultimately hopeful vision of what it means to be connected in this world."
—The New York Times Book Review

"Reimer debuts with a propulsive and affecting mother-daughter story set in New York City’s theater world.... Reimer’s insights on art, feminism, and motherhood add to the intrigue. This is worthy of a standing ovation."
—Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Readers who are in the acting world will rejoice at Reimer’s hyperspecific theater references (no notes on opening night!), and all readers will get lost in Reimer’s gift for writing heart-wrenching, multidimensional relationships. An affecting story about love, abandonment, and the murky middle between them."
—Kirkus

“The Mother Act is a poignant reflection on the challenges women face in balancing ambition and family in a world that often demands they choose between the two.”
—Booklist

“Wholly engrossing, beautifully crafted, and uncanny in its depiction of family intrigue and the life of the artist, this is a rare treasure of a book about both motherhood and daughterhood. I savored every page of this spellbinding debut. Reimer is truly a writer to watch.”
—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular

"Mesmerizing, poignant, and elegantly wrought, this is the best novel I’ve read in ages! Do yourself a favour and read The Mother Act—then share it with your book club, your best friends, and the women you love talking to most."
—Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

“Heidi Reimer’s debut The Mother Act is an incisive and at-times raw exploration of what it means to be both a mother and an artist, and the fallout that comes when you have to choose. Told in six acts, and spanning years in the lives of ambitious Sadie and the daughter she abandoned as a baby, Jude, readers are in expert hands with Reimer’s storytelling. Provocative and profound, this is a beautiful take on the mother-daughter story.”
—Karma Brown, #1 international bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife

“Heidi Reimer's clear-eyed take on a complicated mother-daughter relationship is both emotionally exacting and highly entertaining. An honest, endearing family story for any theater fan, or for anyone who has ever been or had a mother. I devoured this book.”
—Aja Gabel, author of The Ensemble

“Explosive, gripping, and insightful, The Mother Act depicts the fraught mother-daughter relationship in all its messy, poignant complexity. Reimer explores the fascinating and painfully intimate nature of performance, the friction between love and duty, and the contradictions of motherhood. Her novel is a soaring ode to both the page and the stage, honoring all the bookish theatre-lovers who have only ever felt at home in imagined worlds. Even Shakespeare himself, who is quoted and performed throughout the novel, would approve of its drama, intrigue, and emotional heft. The Mother Act deserves a standing ovation.”
—Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

"A dazzling debut and beautifully crafted mother-daughter love story. The Mother Act hooked me from the first page to the last as I willed Sadie and Jude to find their way back to each other."
—Bernadette Jiwa, author of The Making of Her

“Does a child’s life matter more than her mother’s? Throughout The Mother Act, Reimer asks that question, turning over the facets of two women’s hurts, choices, and respective artistic journeys. Reimer challenged my presumptions time and time again, refusing to define such a complex topic—motherhood—in simple terms.”
—Emily Neuberger, author of A Tender Thing

"Sensational… this gorgeous, engaging novel made my heart rethink itself over and over. Jude and Sadie are unforgettable characters, and their story crackles with powerful chemistry. I read it all in a weekend, and didn’t want to put it down. I love this book, I love this book, I love this book, 153 times plus more!"
—Sarah Selecky, Giller-nominated author of This Cake Is for the Party and Radiant Shimmering Light

"From their soaring theater-world achievements to the squalid humiliations of new motherhood, Reimer’s characters explode off the page in scene after scene of spiky tension and carnivalesque misbehavior. With raw insight and razor-sharp wit, The Mother Act asks us to consider the price we make women pay for true artistic freedom. An urgent—and urgently funny—book."
—Sarah Henstra, Governor General's Award-winning author of The Red Word

"Like a set of nesting dolls, The Mother Act—with remarkable acuity—unpacks notions of motherhood, daughterhood, and personhood to arrive at essential questions about what it means to love and be loved, to be vulnerable, and human, all the while employing the framework of a theatrical performance whose effect is truly dazzling."
—Kerry Clare, author of Asking for a Friend Expand reviews