Spotlight on “Mothers and Sons” by Adam Haslett

by LitStack Editor

In Mothers and Sons, a mother and son, estranged for years, must grapple with the shared secret that drove their lives apart, by “one of the country’s most talented writers.” (Wall Street Journal)

Yay LitStackers! Get ready to add another title to your “TBR” list. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett

Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett is in preorder and generating serious buzz. This novel from Little, Brown and Company set for publication January 7, 2025, has early readers buzzing. We show you what’s on the book cover, from the publisher’s official description to the early reviews that suggest this book is one you want to pre-order today. Here we go!

Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett

In publishing, presales are a crucial indicator of a book’s potential success. Presales generate buzz and excitement before a book hits the shelves. Strong presale numbers translate to increased visibility, higher initial print runs, and a greater range of exposure. A high volume of presales signals to bookstores that a book is in demand, leading to better placement and more prominent displays. Ultimately, robust presales can significantly boost a book’s overall performance and reach a wider audience. Buy a presale now to support the author.

About Mothers and Sons

A mother and son, estranged for years, must grapple with the shared secret that drove their lives apart in this enthralling story about family, forgiveness, and how a fleeting act of violence can change a life forever, by “one of the country’s most talented writers” (Wall Street Journal)

At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter’s numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him.

Ann, his mother, who runs a women’s retreat center she founded after leaving his father, is hurt by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built. She long ago put behind her the decision that divided her from her son. But as Peter’s case plunges him further into the fraught memory of his first love and the night of violence that changed his life, he and his mother must confront the secret that tore them apart.

With unsurpassed emotional depth, Mothers and Sons reveals all that is lost by looking away from the past and the love that might be restored by facing it. In his spellbinding new novel, Adam Haslett demonstrates yet again his mastery of “a rich assortment of literary gifts” (New York Times).

Praise for Mothers and Sons

“Mothers and Sons is both moving and deeply compelling, a story about the search for our own humanity, and the lengths we will go to maintain it. A new book by Adam Haslett is always cause for celebration. He is one of our very best writers.”–Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake and The Dutch House

“Mothers and Sons is like sonar in a lake, pinging out everything submerged, the hidden stories, the shames and the joys. There’s nothing else like it. Haslett’s characters feel so real, their choices so hard, their lives so true. He is everything you want in a writer.”–Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author of Less

“This deeply satisfying novel is a revelation—a thoughtful, psychologically acute, beautifully written examination of intersecting lives. The characters come alive on the page, commanding readers’ attention. This novel is sure to receive accolades, and it richly deserves them.”–Booklist (starred review)

“A family-in-crisis story that keenly captures deep-seated fears and regrets…The strength of Haslett’s storytelling is its deliberation, slowly peeling back the veneers of Peter’s and Ann’s professional accomplishments and cool public personas to reveal storms of guilt and fear…Haslett’s sophisticated grasp of the ways that people over-police their feelings makes it a remarkably acute and effective character study.”–Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Irresistible…​Themes of guilt, new beginnings, survival, and violence permeate the excellent and subtle story of characters grappling with events beyond their control, and the author delivers a deeply personal portrait of Peter’s tenacious advocacy for his clients. This matches the heights of Haslett’s best work.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About Adam Haslett, Author of Mothers and Sons

Adam Haslett is the author of Imagine Me Gone, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award; You Are Not a Stranger Here, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; and Union Atlantic, winner of the Lambda Literary Award and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize. His journalism on culture and politics has appeared in The Financial Times, Esquire, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Nation, and The Atlantic, among others.

He was awarded the Berlin Prize by the American Academy in Berlin, a Guggenheim fellowship, the PEN/Malamud Award, the PEN/Winship Award, and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. He currently directs the MFA Program at Hunter College.

You can connect with Adam Haslett on his website, and on Facebook.

Source: Publisher
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 139780316574716
Pub Date: Jan 7, 2025

Other LitStack Resources

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