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All My Mother's Lovers

A Novel

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All My Mother's Lovers

Written by: Ilana Masad
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Ilana Masad
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About this listen

One of...

  • Electric Literature’s "Most Anticipated Debuts of Early 2020"
  • O, the Oprah Magazine’s "31 LGBTQ Books That'll Change the Literary Landscape in 2020"
  • Publishers Weekly’s "Spring 2020 Literary Fiction Announcements"
  • BuzzFeed's "Most Highly Anticipated Books of 2020"
  • The Millions' "Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2020 Book Preview"
  • The Rumpus' "What to Read When 2020 Is Just Around the Corner"
  • LGBTQ Reads' "2020 LGBTQAP Adult Fiction Preview: January-June"
  • Lit Hub's "Most Anticipated Books of 2020"
  • BookRiot's "Must-Read Debut Novels of 2020"
  • Bitch's "27 Novels Feminists Should Read in 2020"
  • Harper’s Bazaar's "14 LGBTQ+ Books to Look for in 2020"
  • NewNowNext’s "11 Queer Books We Can’t Wait to Read this Spring"
  • Cosmopolitan's "12 Books You'll Be Dying to Read this Summer"
  • Salon’s "The Best and Boldest New Must-Read Books for May"
  • Lambda Literary’s “Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of May 2020"
  • The Rumpus' "What to Read When You Want to Celebrate Mothers"

"A queer tour-de-force.... Compelling and astonishing." (Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things)

Intimacy has always eluded 27-year-old Maggie Krause - despite being brought up by married parents, models of domestic bliss - until, that is, Lucia came into her life. But when Maggie’s mom, Iris, dies in a car crash, Maggie returns home only to discover a withdrawn dad, an angry brother, and, along with Iris' will, five sealed envelopes, each addressed to a mysterious man she’s never heard of.

In an effort to run from her own grief and discover the truth about Iris - who made no secret of her discomfort with her daughter's sexuality - Maggie embarks on a road trip, determined to hand-deliver the letters and find out what these men meant to her mother. Maggie quickly discovers Iris’ second, hidden life, which shatters everything Maggie thought she knew about her parents’ perfect relationship. What is she supposed to tell her father and brother? And how can she deal with her own relationship when her whole world is in freefall?

Told over the course of a funeral and shiva, and written with enormous wit and warmth, All My Mother's Lovers is the exciting debut novel from fiction writer and book critic Ilana Masad. A unique meditation on the universality and particularity of family ties and grief, and a tender and biting portrait of sex, gender, and identity, All My Mother's Lovers challenges us to question the nature of fulfilling relationships.

©2020 Ilana Masad (P)2020 Penguin Audio Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Fiction Queer
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What the critics say

"A debut that explores sexuality, family trauma, and grief - after our main character’s mother dies in a car crash and leaves mysterious letters to five different men - but it's all packed in a smart, funny package." (Entertainment Weekly)

"This probing, beautiful debut novel by Ilana Masad is an intimate meditation on grief, identity, love, and inheritance.... [A] daughter's journey to realizing her mother was also a woman, and a tender tribute to the power of forgiveness, understanding, and hope." (Refinery 29)

"Ilana Masad’s All My Mother’s Lovers is a stunning excavation of the profound destabilization of grief, the secrets that twist like vines around the root system of a family, and the terror and grace of learning to be vulnerable before others. Maggie and Iris, the daughter and mother that sit at this novel’s heart, are both indelible, with a bond that not even death can demolish. A giant-hearted and sharply funny debut." (Laura van den Berg, author of The Third Hotel)

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Profile Image for Patti Garland

Beautiful story

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, and didn't have very high expectations. Very happy to say that I enjoyed this a lot. Grew to love all the characters, the writing was great and the story was inspired. I will definitely revisit this!

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