The Good Mother Test: Not Trying to Heal My Inner Child While Raising One

When Emily, a bright but impulsive UCLA student, gives birth to her daughter Violet, she vows to be the kind of mother she never had: endlessly loving, fiercely protective, and always worthy of her child’s trust. But single motherhood is a test with no right answers. As Violet grows into a gifted and unpredictable child, Emily’s instinct-driven parenting collides with a world obsessed with achievement, social expectations, and expert advice.

When Violet’s father, Doug, reenters her life―now in a relationship with Amanda Hoenig, a respected family therapist unable to have children of her own―an uneasy triangle begins to form. What starts as an amicable co-parenting arrangement turns into a psychological tug-of-war over Violet’s future. Emily’s intuition and Amanda’s professional authority clash, in living rooms, classrooms, and finally courtrooms, as everyone insists they are fighting for the same thing: what is best for the child. Violet has her own opinions about this.

Told in two voices―first Emily’s, then Violet’s as she comes of age―The Good Mother Test is a gripping work of contemporary fiction exploring modern motherhood, ambition, and identity. Fans of Little Fires Everywhere and The School for Good Mothers will be drawn to its emotional depth and moral complexity. It asks who decides what makes a good mother, and what happens when love itself becomes one but not the only part of the test.

Michael R. French is a Stanford University graduate who studied English and creative writing under Wallace Stegner and later earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He served in the U.S. Army and is the author of more than twenty books spanning fiction, biography, and self-help. His work has been reviewed by The New York Times and received multiple literary awards. He has also written screenplays, including Intersection, honored at over twenty film festivals.