Brooklyn BookBeat: Brooklynite’s new novel explores complexities of open adoption
Award-winning author Jennifer Gilmore will soon release “The Mothers” (Scribner; on-sale April 9, 2013) – a poignant novel that follows one couple’s complex journey to becoming parents. After years of heartbreaking failure to conceive, the couple finally decides to pursue domestic open adoption. Having gone through the open adoption process herself, Gilmore brings to her novel a rawness and sensitivity that will resonate with her readers, whether or not they themselves are parents.
Gilmore’s characters Jesse and Ramon encounter a slew of complicated circumstances and characters in their attempts to become parents. As they gather advice from other couples at training sessions and through family and friends, Jesse and Ramon are constantly reminded that their quest is a difficult one.
Open adoption – which allows birthmothers to maintain a relationship with their child and the adoptive parents – is a controversial practice, yet Gilmore’s own experience allows her to approach the subject with an informed perspective. She depicts Jesse’s and Ramon’s pain with delicate honesty, capturing moments that test the couple’s patience and even their marriage. Despite the heaviness of her subject matter, Gilmore manages to integrate some comic relief into the story; “The Mothers” is at once a charming and emotional read.