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Frida Liu, a hardworking Chinese American mother, is pushed to the edge. She doesnt live up to the expectations set by her immigrant parents or her wellness-obsessed husband. Only with Harrietcherubic and beloveddoes she find a measure of fulfillmentuntil she has a very bad day.

In this close-to-future dystopia, the state targets mothers like Frida: mothers who check their phones, let their children walk home alone, or make one parenting error. Because of one mistake, Frida is sent to a government-run institutiona Big Brotherstyle reform school for good mothers, where every move is monitored, and even her love is judged.

For custody to be returned, she must prove that a flawed mother can be redeemed and learn to be good. Filled with dark wit and emotional urgency, The School for Good Mothers is an intense, captivating novel that scrutinizes upper-middle-class parenting, systemic surveillance of women, and the violence exacted by both the state and one another. It offers a transgressive exploration of motherhood, resilience, guilt, and the force of love.

Using spare, compelling prose, Jessamine Chan crafts an unforgettable, modern classic that resonates with readers of The Handmaids Tale and 1984, while centering a richly drawn woman navigating class, race, and motherhood under the gaze of an unyielding system.