The Mare

Mothering. A reader looking at the cover of Mary Gaitskill’s novel titled, The Mare, could assume that this is a book about a girl and her horse. It is that and so much more. The ensemble cast of characters are so finely developed, calling just one the protagonist may minimize the strength of how each character contributes to the whole novel. Gaitskill’s plot will appeal to any reader who enjoys literary fiction that has a clear structure. The novel explores mothering from multiple dimensions, a biological mother who fights for survival; a surrogate mother who wants to become more than that; and a young girl who needs to mother herself. Gaitskill presents multiple narrators in ways that lead readers to see the plot from multiple perspectives. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Mare from amazon.com.