Given the selection of mothers on display in Adrienne Benson’s The Brightest Sun, it’s not surprising that they’re among the most judged members of any society. With the exception of Simi, they are cold or overprotective or disastrously absent. This novel takes us inside the head of three women, at first, before broadening out to their daughters and an unwitting father. Unlike so many other stories, this book seems to be about the darker psychological aspects of motherhood.
The first mother we meet is Leona, an anthropologist who is studying the way grazing restrictions have changed Maasai ways of life. A one night stand left her pregnant and she gives birth in the hut the Maasai built for her, but she refuses to feed or bond with the baby. Being a mother brings up too many memories of her own terrible parents. Fortunately for the baby, Leona’s friend Simi—who very much wants a child but hasn’t been able to carry one to term—steps in to become the second mother of the trio of protagonists. Before long, the baby is adopted as a Maasai and named Adia.
The third mother is Jane, a former elephant researcher turned diplomat’s wife, who has the misfortune to be pregnant in Liberia during a period of unrest. Where Leona is completely detached from her child and Simi is a joyful mother, Jane is terrified. Her fears are justifiable at first, but they soon overwhelm her, even after she and her husband return to the States.
The novel lets the women take turns at telling their stories. In fact, there’s a lot more telling than showing in this novel. I rather wish that the story had unfolded in a, well, more story-like way. The second and third parts have less exposition than the first. Leona and Simi’s daughter, Adia, and Jane’s daughter, Grace, are both so headstrong that they shove the plot along in ways their mothers can’t or won’t.
The Brightest Sun tells stories about motherhood that I haven’t encountered in literature before. With the exception of Simi, few of the mothers in this book want to or feel prepared to parents. People who judge mothers, I’ve noticed, are rarely mothers themselves or don’t face the psychological traumas Leona and Jane have. All mothers are unique, this book shows us, and have to face their own struggles until they manage to come out the other side.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. It will be released 20 March 2018.