Mothers Grimm – Danielle Wood

Mothers Grimm was not quite as I expected. I thought I’d be reading some traditional fairy tales, twisted to show the mother’s point of view. Instead what I got was a selection of short stories each expressing a different side to motherhood. The stories are heart-wrenching, some of them quite dark, but what brought me to tears was not the horror, but the joy. A teen who has just given birth looks to her own mother and asks about that gut-twisting spasm of love. “Hold onto that feeling,” the mother responds. “It has to last you through at least the next eighteen years.”*

But what this book shows more than anything else, is the different and difficult situations we all face in life. If only we could empathise with others, instead of assuming we know best and judging them based on our own situations and experiences. It’s something I strive for, and fail, every single day.

This is the first of Danielle Wood’s books that I’ve read. But I’ll definitely be going back for more.

Highly recommended!

*note: I must admit that I forgot to write down the exact quote before I returned the book to the library… so this is more a paraphrase…