The Other Mother
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by Matthew Dicks
Publication date: January 12, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Hardcover: 320 Pages
Publisher Description
From the beloved author of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, comes The Other Mother, a novel about a teenage boy coping with the rupture of his family by viewing his mother in an unusual light.
The one he loves most, is the one he knows least.
Thirteen-year-old Michael Parsons is dealing with a lot. His father’s sudden death; his mother’s new husband, Glen, who he loathes; his two younger siblings, who he looks after more and more now that his mother works extra shifts.
And then one day, Michael wakes up and his mother is gone. In her place is an exact, duplicate mother. The ‘other mother’. No one else seems to notice the real version is missing. His brother, his sister, and even Glen act as if everything’s normal. But Michael knows in his heart that this mother is not his. And he begins to panic.
What follows is a big-hearted coming-of-age story of a boy struggling with an unusual disorder that poses unparalleled challenges—but also, as he discovers, offers him unique opportunities.
About the author
Matthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and Twenty-one Truths About Love. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide.
Read more about Matthew ON HIS WEBSITE
Praise
“The Other Mother celebrates the healing magic of friendship and reclaiming one’s self. Told in Michael’s wry, often anxious voice, this quietly triumphant feel-good novel addresses the burden of grief, the complications of family and the mysteries of first love.” ―Shelf Awareness
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“A touching coming-of-age tale. For fans of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Andrew David MacDonald’s When We Were Vikings.” ―Library Journal
“Nearly impossible to put down… Filled with emotion, pain, and joy, The Other Mother is well worth the read.” ―Associated Press
“Dicks offers a wistful and quietly moving portrait of a teenage boy keeping too many secrets… [His] bighearted, generous novel makes a strong case for empathy and for forgiveness―both toward others and toward oneself.” ―Publishers Weekly