Themes/Triggers:
Motherhood, friendship, love, caring, belonging, found family, mental health, illness and disease, travel, self-identity, self-discovery, family roots, abandonment, religion and culture, grief, purpose, reproduction, social standards and expectations.
Synopsis:
Eva Martinez-Green is an only child, naturally she is full of questions about her early years. But Eva feels a disconnect between her physically absent father and her emotionally absent mother, especially when they can't agree on the answers to her questions.
Why are there no baby pictures of Eva? In fact, why is there no evidence of the first three and a half years of her life? When Eva's parents relationship breaks down, it leads her on a quest to find her answers. Her journey leads her across continents and passed decades, and over the years she meets women who touch her life in different ways and ultimately challenge her idea of what a mother should be.
Thoughts:
There are some books that are so beautiful in writing and story that it's hard to describe in words just how special they are. The impact of these books can only be understood through the experience of reading them, All My Mothers fits perfectly into this category.
I went in to this book with no expectations and can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. From the start there's an instant build up of suspense and uncertainty around Eva's origins, as a child she has a strong instinct that her mother isn't her birth mother. It quickly becomes obvious that there may be some truth to this, taking into consideration her father's physical absence and her mother's overall detachment. Eva is emotionally abandoned, her longing and need to be loved is projected in her search for a mother in almost every female she comes across.
There are so many layers, deep connections and important bonds in this book from friendships to parenting and finding a life partner. Eva's connection to the Blume family, how each member had their own place and purpose, how they shaped her as a person and the way they lose touch over the years only to reconnect and evolve was definitely a stand out element of the book. I won't get in to how the Blume's become the Blue's because it'll take away from the depth and frankly it's too heart-breaking.
Eva herself is such a strong, unique and complex character, her thoughts and feelings were so expressive and written in a simple poetic way making it easy to resonate with. There are some really beautiful quotes and scenes in this book. I loved how Eva tells her story through reflection and adds some humorous afterthoughts from her present point of view. Her experiences with loss and grief were tender and moving, some being too painful for her to even think or talk about. Her feelings of regret and responsibility towards certain losses were really heavy and compelling. Considering Eva felt neglected by her mother I think she somewhat neglects her mother too, during her mothers troubles with her mental health and rehab over the years. This touches on the misunderstanding and lack of support that people with mental health problems can sometimes feel, specifically for mothers.
I loved the contrast between London and Spain, it was like two different worlds. The descriptions of Spain felt so real and vivid, it was like I could feel the warmth through the pages and I could see the people from different religions and cultures happily coexisting and sharing stunning places of worship. The architecture, flower displays and festivals built a sense of bright energy and happiness. As Eva discovers more about her roots it makes sense as to why she feels so at home in Córdoba in comparison to London.
The big reveal was not at all what I expected and it wasn't perfect, it was messy and real. Character's emotions were all over the place and so were my own. I thought the build up was perfect with the small revelations towards it and everything moves quite quickly in the last third of the book.
This was definitely my type of book but I can see how it might be too slow for others. I think for fans of 'Where the Crawdads Sing' this would be a good read. What I took away from this novel was that sometimes the things we want most in life, we never get them directly - but those needs and wishes are fulfilled in other unexpected ways. Eva's story taught me to trust my instincts, never lose hope and value the time that I have with the people I love because family is more then a bloodline. A life changing novel which I will definitely be reading again and would highly recommend to everyone.
Rating: 5/5
Favourite Quotes:
'I felt a massive wind blow through my body, and I had this strange feeling that all of me had been blown out of myself and was flying around the room like debris caught in a tornado.
I was an outline.
Drawn in pen.'
'Because there was no way I could ever explain to a logical, realistic boy like Michael the longing that raged inside me, a feeling so strong that it was almost as if life was longing for itself, as if I lived permanently on the cusp of some colossal dawn.'
'You were and still are my biggest love story.'
'Being barren was nothing like being bald. I would never hold my child.'
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