“A masterfully written novel, alive and lyrical, a hypnotic rendering of the mess and tenderness of family life.”
— Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had
Reviews of Mother In the Dark
“Wrenching and poignant… Maiuri brings nuance to the heavy subject matter: inherited madness, fracturing family bonds, and resentment held in the body, balanced nicely with Anna’s strong narrative voice. Fans of Justin Torres’s We the Animals will find a lot to like.” — Publishers Weekly
“Striking… Maiuri’s prose is empathetic and remarkable, a meditation on the kind of attention a girl can bestow upon her mother, even when unrequited.” — The New York Times Book Review
“Kayla Maiuri’s family drama Mother In the Dark ruined a night of sleep as it sped towards its irresistible climax.” — The Millions
“A tender and achingly vulnerable story in the vein of memoirs like Educated and The Glass Castle, Maiuri’s debut novel peels back layers of multigenerational trauma in a complicated, dysfunctional family. Maiuri doesn’t paint her characters as heroes or villains, instead allowing readers to see the love and pain that seeps through the cracks of a family’s broken relationships.” — Booklist
