Book Review: (M)othering Edited by Anne Sorbie and Heidi Grogan

I haven’t reviewed many books from feminist press Inanna Publications, but when I received (M)othering Edited by Anne Sorbie and Heidi Grogan, I knew that I wanted to read it. An anthology exploring the complicated experience of mothering and being mothered is ripe for artistic interpretation, and this collection explores the wide range in a mixture of genres, increasing its accessibility. Some pieces spoke to me while other simply baffled me, but this is what made me love this collection: its variety. Even better is that it features many writers local to Calgary.

Book Summary
There are 88 different pieces in total written by 57 different contributors, including visual art, poems, short stories, and essays. Even if you grew up without a mother, or have never been a mother yourself, we all have experiences of mothering, which this collection explores. “All in a Day’s Work” by Lori D. Roadhouse is a poem written from the perspective of a teacher, and the often painful experiences of hearing the difficult sides of their students’ lives. “Marsupiak” is about a woman’s urge towards motherhood, juxtaposed with the invention of a prosthetic womb for men. “To Say a Prayer” by Susan Ouriou is about a daughter’s recollection of growing up with a mother struggling with a severe mental illness, and the trip to drop her off at an institution once it became too much for her father. There’s a mixture of perspectives on display in this collection; childhood memories, the exhaustion of new motherhood, the grief of losing a parent, even observances of other mothers in one’s vicinity. There is the both the absence and presence of mothers dealt with in this anthology, so you can likely imagine the incredibly variety of pieces included.

My Thoughts
I couldn’t discern any clear patterns as to the ordering of the pieces, but there’s a balanced pacing that allows for slow and varied reading; a group of poems will appear after a picture, followed by a slightly longer essay or story. No piece is longer than 7 or 8 pages, and one can stop and start with ease, leaving the collection for a day or two, even a month or two, and jumping back in when the mood strikes. “Spring” by Liz Kingsley is a poem that touches upon the seasons of parenthood, shifting with the stages of growth along with her children, which succinctly encompasses the ever-changing demands of Motherhood. “Mothering in Lieu” by Chynna Laird
describes the life of one woman who expresses gratitude for the various mother figures in her life, belonging to a single woman unable to handle the responsibilities she found herself with, but growing up with other women who stepped in when needed. So although the title of a collection may seem exclusionary and overly-focused, it’s indeed the opposite. Every single person, man and woman, will find things to relate to in this book.

There’s humour too – Aritha van Herk’s essay titled “The Unfathomable Attraction of the Man Who Wants a Mother” is a sarcastic look at men who can’t seem to move out of their parents’ house; they are in search of a woman who will take care of them just like their mother did. No doubt men would become annoyed reading this piece, but I know all women will read it and nod along, recognizing previous partners:

“The man who wants a mother is lost more than found, vaguely unhappy with his life and not sure where he’s heading. He wants a mother to complain to, to reassure him that he’s an unacknowledged genius, a potential wizard or master, a maven who just
hasn’t been discovered (p. 201)” (M)othering Edited by Anne Sorbie and Heidi Grogan

It’s an impressive feat to move a reader to both tears, and laughter. I hope others don’t take a look at the title and dismiss it as not for them – there’s truly something for everyone here.