In a Country of Mothers (Paperback)

by A.M. Homes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In two previous books, Homes ( The Safety of Objects ) has written about people caught in the midst of change and unable (or unwilling), at first, to control or understand it. Naturally, one of her best subjects is adolescence; Jack , her first novel, tells of a boy coming to terms with his estranged father's newfound homosexuality. Here, Homes enlarges her scope with exhilarating assurance, paying equal attention to people young and mature as they pass from what they once were to whoever they must finally be. The novel concerns Jody, a frail but driven young woman pursuing a film career, and Claire, a successful, middle-aged psychiatrist who, many years ago, gave up a child born out of wedlock to foster parents. The third-person narrative shifts between the two women as Jody becomes Claire's intermittent patient and steady obsession, and the doctor, though happily married with a family of her own, becomes convinced that Jody is her long-lost child. But for Homes, this plot twist, despite its considerable suspense, serves mainly as a useful route for exploring the flux, passion and perversity of binding love. She does this with wit, skillful pacing and a sympathy for characters and their dislocations that borders--agreeably--on the uncritical.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
A shrink convinces herself that one of her patients is her lost daughter: the strong premise has a weak follow-through in Homes's first novel for adults (after her YA novel Jack, 1989, and her 1990 story collection, The Safety of Objects). When Claire Roth was in college, she became pregnant by her English professor. Dead-set against a back-alley abortion (this was 1966) and getting no sympathy from her ice-cold WASP parents, Claire was forced to give up her baby for adoption (by a Jewish family, she insisted). Now 43, a successful Manhattan therapist with a good marriage and two sons, she is still haunted by that early loss, still self-punishing. Her newest patient is Jody Goodman (whose viewpoint alternates with Claire's). The outwardly self-confident Jody, who works for a film producer, is getting the jitters over her imminent departure for UCLA's film school. Despite a wonderfully helpful mother, Jody has always had problems making changes and getting close to people. Is this related to her adoption? When Claire first sees the possibility that Jody is her daughter (times and places jibe), the therapist considers her own violent reaction as a countertransference problem; but then Claire starts behaving unprofessionally, fawning over Jody while neglecting her own family. After this tension, there is a falling- off. Jody leaves for California, escorted by her mother, and the only way Homes can reconnect her protagonists is to have Jody fly back east with a Mysterious Virus, while Claire is spinning her wheels. The climax is effectively ghoulish but resolves nothing. Snappy dialogue, transparently clear style, and characters handled with just the right amounts of sympathy and acerbity: Homes has a bright future--but, for now, readers have this intriguing if ultimately disappointing debut. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (April 5, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679742433
• ISBN-13: 978-0679742432
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #708,627 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warped. . . .But in a Good Way, February 5, 2001

By	Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This one was a good read that perhaps could have been better. It starts off really strong but the ending, while good, is not as good as the rest of the book. It's the story of Claire, a therapist who many years ago gave up an infant daughter for adoption, and Claire's patient Jody, a young woman confused about her future. Claire begins to suspect that Jody is the daughter she gave away. Both women have slightly troubling personal lives. Many of their relationships have shortcomings that neither is particularly happy with and they begin to rely on the patient-therapist relationship too much. This is a witty, darkly comic psychological thriller that is very, very readable. I really could not put it down. As I said earlier, the ending is not as strong as the beginning, but it's still quite good. The not-so-rosy picture of the world Homes paints for us rings very true. If you like dark humor, you'll like this novel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, June 13, 2006

By	Elisabeth (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

I loved this book. I thought the characters were very convincing and the relationship between therapist and patient was very real. The ending was a little weaker than the rest of the book but I was captivated. A true psychological thriller, intelligent, disturbing, unpredictable yet very convincing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not her best but her characters remain disturbed to the core, May 31, 2002

By	Lisa franchina (Stamford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

When I pick up an A.M. Homes book I am ready to settle into the tormented minds of her brilliantly colorful characters. I have never been let down. In a country is a gripping story about mental illness and adoption. Homes can marry the two like a dream. No emotion was spared on the doctor and her patient. Usually her books leave me haunted, thinking about the characters for days, this one didn't have the same effect but was still a great read.