Publication Date: March 21, 2024
A powerful short story collection about an often forgotten group: the mothers of children who kill. Trounstine explores the stories of ten mothers, each struggling with the aftermath of murder. While fictional, Trounstine’s characters are drawn from her more than thirty years of experience with prisoners and their families, making her stories all the more real and resonant.
One act of violence can change the trajectory of a perpetrator’s life. However, it also has a significant impact on the mother forced to deal with the reality of an incarcerated child.
Author Jean Trounstine draws upon her experience with prisoners and their families to create ten fictional mothers in Motherlove. While the circumstances of the crimes differ, the stories each feature a mother struggling with the aftermath of murder.
Each chapter features a newspaper clipping highlighting a death, whether intentional or not. The accompanying story, titled with the mother’s name, delves into her experiences.
Marie’s story delivers a redemption opportunity through her son’s parole hearing, allowing her to speak to the mother whose son had been killed.
As with any sort of anthology, some stories resonated more than others. Dilsia’s story about her son, Daniel, arrested for felony murder had some confusing elements. While fictional, the author created a diverse situation for each mother. The majority of the stories seemed to focus on minority groups.
Motherlove serves as a testimony for mothers wrestling with their children who are behind bars, struggling to survive in an often hostile environment.
Jean Trounstine is the author of the highly praised SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS: The Power of Drama in Women’s Prison, about her decade directing plays and teaching at Framingham Women’s Prison in Massachusetts. She has written numerous articles on prison issues for Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe Magazine, and other publications, and has been the subject of many articles, radio broadcasts (NPR, The Connection) and TV shows (The Today Show). She is involved in prison activism and speaks often on the subject here and abroad.
