Mother and Daughter Stories I have Loved

DESPITE THE INEVITABLE UPS AND DOWNS and tangles of emotion, a strong bond between a mother and her daughter can withstand the test of time. My novel, Ashes and Ruins, is dedicated to all mothers and daughters who face the world together. The story, inspired by the relationship between my grandmother and my aunt, tells of a mother and her daughter who face hardship together in Nazi Germany and blitz-torn London.

As a summer reading treat, I offer you eight of my favorite mother/daughter books ― five novels and three memoirs. After reading Ashes and Ruins, why not try one of these? I’ve chosen books that take place in a variety of settings and times, so (I hope) there is at least one that will interest you.

Five novels:

*

Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum, takes place in Nazi Germany and in Minnesota in the 1990s. The author skillfully weaves together two timelines and two points of view. Both timeframes are equally interesting and tense, making for an excellent read. Blum manages to create a story around two women characters who are not particularly likable, yet the reader follows them with interest and comes to understand why they are the way they are. By the end, the characters become women who readers root for and hope will find happiness. Though the book is too realistic for a pat, happy ending, it does finish on a positive note. The descriptions of winter in Minnesota are extremely well rendered, making the reader feel the bone-chilling weather. Those Who Save Us is a tale of how good people sometimes do bad things and why bad people might do good things.

*

A difficult, life-changing summer is the core of Elizabeth Berg’s novel, We Are All Welcome Here, set in 1964 during the civil rights era. Everyday life is a challenge for Paige, who battles the effects of polio, but she is determined to live a normal life and raise her daughter, Diana, the way she wants. Luckily, she has the help of Peacie, her tough-talking Black caregiver. The voice of 13-year-old Diana, an observant narrator, describes the humor and pathos of small-town Mississippi life. But trouble comes when Peacie’s boyfriend gets involved in civil-rights activism. The determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity is a major theme of this novel filled with finely drawn and interesting characters.

*

My Mother’s Secret, by J.L. Witterick, is a small book (only 209 pages) with a huge heart and an important message. This short and beautifully written novel was inspired by the true story of an older mother and her nineteen-year-old daughter in WWII Poland who saved the lives of fifteen Jews. Their amazing story of courage and determination is told from four points of view. Helena, the daughter, begins the tale. The following sections are told by the father of one of the Jewish families they save, the eight-year-old boy of the other hidden Jewish family, and the pacifist German soldier that also finds refuge in Franciszka’s home when he decides to go AWOL. Finally, the end of the tale returns to Helena. My Mother’s Secret proves again that ordinary people can choose to be extraordinary. It’s a great read for anyone over the age of twelve!

*

A dystopian, deeply human novel, The New Wilderness, by Diane Cook, serves as a warning. In a not-too-distant future, Bea tries to raise her five-year-old daughter, Agnes, in one of the over-populated, polluted cities that seem to be all that is left. But her child is dying from the polluted air, so Bea volunteers to move with Agnes to the Wilderness State, where she and a group of other volunteers try to exist within nature as nomadic hunter-gatherers. In her efforts to protect her daughter, Bea soon realizes that the result may be losing her. Both a dirge for our contempt of nature and a deeply humane portrayal of motherhood, The New Wilderness is an extraordinary novel set against a dystopian backdrop. The mother/daughter story winds its way to a thought-provoking, frightening, detailed, and believable ending. This is a great read for anyone who likes dystopian settings, enjoys well-developed characters, and is concerned about global warming, overpopulation, and air pollution.

*

Highwire Moon, by Susan Straight, is a heartrending tale of a mother‘s love and a daughter’s longing for the mother she hardly remembers. Serafina, a Mexican undocumented migrant worker, is picked up by immigration and deported, leaving behind her infant daughter, who the officers don’t notice in the car. Twelve years later, Serafina risks everything to return to the United States and the daughter she was forced to abandon . . . while her thirteen-year-old daughter runs away to try to get to Mexico to find her mother. Highwire Moon is a no-holds-barred novel that deals with foster families, migrant working conditions, and problems of Mixtec immigrants in an English-speaking world. The author focuses on the places where love, race, class, and violence meet, and her aim is spot-on.

And three memoirs:

*

Paula: A Memoir, by Isabele Allende, is more than a memoir. This literary masterpiece is also the heartrending story of a mother’s devotion, an autobiography, and a spiritual journey. When her daughter, Paula, became gravely ill and fell into a coma, Isabel Allende began to write the story of her family for her unconscious child. Paula is the result. The author chronicles her family history and her despair as her daughter’s condition deteriorates. The juxtaposition of these two themes is poignant and heart-rending. I highly recommend this beautiful memoir about an unbreakable mother-daughter relationship—but be sure to have tissues by your side.

*

On a lighter note, We’ll Always Have Paris, by Jennifer Coburn, is a delightful memoir about a series of mother/daughter trips. Afraid of early death because of medical family history, the author, an inexperienced traveler, decides to take her eight-year-old daughter to Paris so they will build memories together. Some of the experiences described are funny, some sad, and, overall, the young daughter, Katie, seems the more savvy of the two. Every few years, the pair travel together again. As their travel skills grow, so does their relationship. Interspersed with the travel stories are emotional and heartfelt sections that chronicle Coburn’s deep love and longing for her hippie/alcoholic/musician father, who died when she was a young woman, making this memoir also a father/daughter story.

*

For You, Mom, Finally, by Ruth Reichl, is told, as are all of Reichl’s memoirs, with feeling, intimacy, and a touch of humor. Ever since I read Ruth Reichl’s first memoir, Tender to the Bone, I’ve been fascinated by her unusual mother. This memoir fills in the blanks and brings understanding to the difficult relationship between Ruth and her mother. It stands as an ode to the generation of women who grew up after WWI, worked during WWII, and then found themselves homemakers again when their husbands returned from war. Reichl examines her mother’s transition from a hopeful young woman to an unhappy older lady, revealing the sacrifices she made to ensure her daughter did not end up like her mother. For You Mom, Finally is short and sweet, the perfect dessert for this list.