Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett is out now from Penguin Random House SA!

A mother and son, estranged for many years, reckon at last with the secret that has kept them apart in this highly anticipated novel by one of the most talented American writers of his generation.

‘A complex portrait of parallel lives on a par with the great Russian novels … incandescently smart and elegant … This is a story that feels as deep and real as life itself – a beautiful portrait of a mother and son.’ ― Guardian

‘The novel I’ve looked forward to most this coming year: Adam Haslett’s Mothers and Sons … I’ve loved his writing since Union Atlantic and this book is his best yet … The echoes of the Russian greats in the title aren’t misplaced – this is an epic family saga that packs an extraordinary emotional punch.’ ― Observer, ‘Fiction to look out for in 2025’

About the book

At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter’s numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him.

Ann, his mother, who runs a women’s retreat centre she founded after leaving his father, is wounded by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built. She long ago banished from her mind the decision that divided her from her son. But as Peter’s case plunges him further into the fraught memory of his first love and the night of violence that changed his life forever, he and his mother must confront the secret that tore them apart.

With unsurpassed emotional depth, Mothers and Sons reveals all that is lost by looking away from the past and the love that might be restored by facing it. In his spellbinding new novel, Adam Haslett demonstrates yet again his mastery of ‘a rich assortment of literary gifts’ (New York Times).

Categories Fiction International

Tags Adam Haslett Mothers and Sons New books New releases Penguin Random House SA