“Propulsive and affecting.... This is worthy of a standing ovation.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Mother Act offers an ultimately hopeful vision of what it means to be connected in this world.”
— The New York Times Book Review

The Mother Act

Set against the sparkling backdrop of the theater world, this propulsive debut follows the complicated relationship between an actress who refuses to abandon her career and the daughter she chooses to abandon instead.

Sadie Jones, a larger-than-life actress and controversial feminist, never wanted to be a mother. No one feels this more deeply than Jude, the daughter Sadie left behind. While Jude spent her childhood touring with her father’s Shakespearian theater company, desperate for validation from the mother she barely knew, Sadie catapulted to fame on the wings of The Mother Act—a scathing one-woman show depicting her maternal rage.

Two decades later, Jude is a talented actress in her own right, and her fraught relationship with Sadie has come to a head—bitterly and publicly. On a December evening in New York City, at the packed premiere of Sadie’s latest play, the two come face-to-face and the intertwined stories of their lives unravel. With years of love, resentment, and misunderstanding laid bare, the questions loom: What are the costs of being a devoted mother and a devoted artist, and who gets to decide if the collateral damage is justified?

Compelling, insightful, and cleverly conveyed as a play in six acts, The Mother Act is equal parts stylish page-turner and provocative exploration of womanhood.

Published April 30, 2024.

  • “Mesmerizing, poignant and elegantly wrought, this is the best novel I’ve read in ages! Do yourself a favour and read THE MOTHER ACT—then share it with your book club, your best friends and the women you love talking to most.”

    —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

  • “From their soaring theater-world achievements to the squalid humiliations of new motherhood, Reimer’s characters explode off the page in scene after scene of spiky tension and carnivalesque misbehavior. With raw insight and razor-sharp wit, THE MOTHER ACT asks us to consider the price we make women pay for true artistic freedom. An urgent—and urgently funny—book.”

    —Sarah Henstra, Governor General's Award-winning author of The Red Word

  • “Sensational… this gorgeous, engaging novel made my heart rethink itself over and over. Jude and Sadie are unforgettable characters, and their story crackles with powerful chemistry. I read it all in a weekend, and didn’t want to put it down. I love this book, I love this book, I love this book, 153 times plus more!”

    —Sarah Selecky, Giller-shortlisted author of This Cake Is for the Party and Radiant Shimmering Light

  • “Wholly engrossing, beautifully crafted and uncanny in its depiction of family intrigue and the life of the artist, this is a rare treasure of a book about both motherhood and daughterhood. I savored every page of this spellbinding debut. Reimer is truly a writer to watch.”

    —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular

  • “Like a set of nesting dolls, THE MOTHER ACT—with remarkable acuity—unpacks notions of motherhood, daughterhood, and personhood to arrive at essential questions about what it means to love and be loved, to be vulnerable, and human, all the while employing the framework of a theatrical performance whose effect is truly dazzling.”

    —Kerry Clare, author of Asking for a Friend

  • “Reimer explores the fascinating and painfully intimate nature of performance, the friction between love and duty, and the contradictions of motherhood. Her novel is a soaring ode to both the page and the stage, honoring all the bookish theatre-lovers who have only ever felt at home in imagined worlds.”

    —Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

  • “Does a child’s life matter more than her mother’s? Throughout THE MOTHER ACT, Reimer asks that question, turning over the facets of two women’s hurts, choices, and respective artistic journeys. Reimer challenged my presumptions time and time again, refusing to define such a complex topic—motherhood—in simple terms.”

    —Emily Neuberger, author of A Tender Thing

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