Rivers Solomon's 6 chilling books about the dark side of motherhood
The author recommends works by Toni Morrison, Zoje Stage, and more

When you make a purchase using links on our site, The Week may earn a commission. All reviews are written independently by our editorial team.
In Rivers Solomon's new novel, "Model Home," three adult siblings revisit traumas, some supernatural, that they experienced while growing up in the sole Black family in a gated suburb. Below, the author of "Sorrowland" recommends other family horror.
'A Mercy' by Toni Morrison (2008)
Brazenly intricate, Morrison's ninth novel interrogates the mythos of family and the bonds — literal, in the case of the enslaved narrator Florens — that hold families together. A mother's love, easily mistaken for a mother's hate or ambivalence, isn't always the mercy it was intended to be. Buy it here.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Mothers Don't' by Katixa Agirre (2019)
A journalist, pregnant with her first baby, discovers that an old childhood friend is on trial for the murder of her twin children. A novel about what mothers "don't" and "wouldn't" and "couldn't" ever do — but do. Buy it here.
'The Fifth Child' by Doris Lessing (1988)
A haunting and propulsive short read, Lessing's novella tells the story of a conservative family in 1960s England whose perfect fantasy life is upended upon the birth of a fifth child. Questioning the limits of a mother's responsibility and devotion, "The Fifth Child" is an unsettling fable about the inherent horrors of the nuclear family. Buy it here.
'Baby Teeth' by Zoje Stage (2018)
Seven-year-old Hanna loves her daddy to pieces but hates her mother. Suzette is a devoted and loving parent but becomes increasingly unable to cope with Hanna as the girl's violence against her escalates. It's a mother-daughter face-off that brings to mind Mervyn LeRoy's 1956 film, "The Bad Seed." Buy it here.
'Butter Honey Pig Bread' by Francesca Ekwuyasi (2020)
Born an ọgbanje—an evil spirit that's meant to die in childhood to haunt its mother — Kambirinachi breaks the order of the spirit world by choosing to live. This is of great consequence to herself, as she longs for return to the spirit realm, and to her twin daughters, who suffer unspeakable tragedy as a result of her untetheredness. Buy it here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
'The Need' by Helen Phillips (2019)
The relentless neediness of children doesn't go away even when there's an intruder in the house. Phillips' novel manages to be both a gripping psychological thriller about the isolation of motherhood and an accurate account of the sheer drudgery. Buy it here.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Feature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more