The Mother of All Things

Landau’s (Those Who Are Saved) new novel is a fiercely feminist story about female rage and the challenges of balancing motherhood with career while not losing oneself along the way. This story intertwines the lives and struggles of two mothers living in the modern-day United States and ancient Greece. In the present, the story follows art history professor Ava Zaretsky, whose research has taken a backseat while she practically solo-parents her children in order to support her husband’s career. Her husband’s new film shoot is set to take place over the summer in Bulgaria, and Ava accompanies him. In Bulgaria, Ava serendipitously bumps into one of her college mentors and is inspired to join a group of women who reenact Greco-Roman women’s initiation rites. This ties seamlessly into the secondary storyline, set in 411 BCE, in which Greek mythology comes to life through a mother-daughter pair whose loyalty and love for each other is tested. Wonderfully narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Jennifer Pickens, who bring to the women’s stories great empathy and compassion.