Motherland: A Novel
by Amy Sohn, Chick Lit (Released August, 2012)
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Summary: In this sequel to Prospect Park West, five Brooklyn families struggle with parenthood and maintaining their relationships.
My Thoughts: I needed a lighter book after my last two (One Second After and The Sandcastle Girls) and I liked Prospect Park West, so thought I would enjoy this one. Amazon said Sohn “delivers a candid, unsentimental look at modern marriage”. Well, I don’t know whose marriages Amazon is basing this observation on, but I thought these characters were over the top, fairly unlikable, and not very relatable. It seemed like Sohn was trying to ratchet up Prospect Park West‘s realistic plot enough to warrant a sequel, but ended up resorting to oddball gimmicks because she had run out of plausible story lines (i.e. a masseur that specializes in sucking on women’s toes). Give Prospect Park West a try, but don’t bother with Motherland.