Advance Praise for Mothersick
Publishing April 2027
“Mothersick is a gorgeous, capacious novel, a narrative as intricate and rich as the familial bonds therein. Hazell's sentences sing, and her compassion for her characters is a thing of beauty.”
— Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had and Same As It Ever Was
“Hazell trains a sharp eye on female relationships and the promises we make to each other as sisters, daughters, and mothers—both those we can keep and those we cannot. I haven't stopped thinking about Nell and Mara and Jean and Andy since I put it down.”
— Austin Taylor, author of Notes on Infinity
“A beautifully messy portrait of family and motherhood, and the choices and limitations inherent in being a woman. Hazell’s writing absolutely dazzles.”
— Marisa Kashino, author of Best Offer Wins
“New babies and their ability to break a person open: heart, memories, the whole of herself threatening to spill out”
Mara and Nell will never be able to forget the day that their parents’ marriage fell apart. They declare their family of origin wrecked, and the traditional structure to be a complete farce. From now on, all they have is each other. So in their twenties, they make a pact: no marriages, no babies and no repeating their parents’ mistakes.
But a few years later, Mara does the unthinkable – she falls in love and becomes a mother, leaving Nell behind. Mara wishes that Nell could relate to her new life – its terrifying claustrophobia and unexpected joys – but Nell hardly recognizes her sister or the path she has chosen. Their pact now irrevocably broken, Nell throws herself into a relationship with an undeniable catch of a man without asking whether they want the same things, or if she’s willing to compromise her hard-won independence. A cosmic fork in the road has changed everything between the sisters, and just when they need her the most, they’re confronted by the shadow of their mother’s absence and the secrets they’ve all been keeping from each other.
From the acclaimed author of Piglet comes a profound intergenerational family story that speaks to the life-altering question of whether to embrace, reject, or redefine motherhood. Mothersick explores the enduring and infuriating spell of sisterhood and the beauty, captivity, and optimism of family in its many forms.