Mothers of Fate
“Lynne Hugo, a writer of immense talent and rare insight, dips her sharp yet sympathetic pen in a well of revelation as she brings each character to life. I cared and worried about all of them, despite their transgressions, rooting for them to find their path [...] Mothers of Fate places self-determination on the stand.” —Randy Susan Meyers, internationally bestselling author
“With her usual engaging prose, Lynne Hugo unspools a tender tale of parenthood in all its many faces as her characters struggle to live with the outcome of their past decisions. Those past choices color the present in bold strokes, raising the stakes to keep the pages turning. Hugo’s compassion for her characters—and her readers--shines through.” —Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street
“Lynne Hugo’s brilliantly prismatic story is about choice versus destiny, forgiveness versus acceptance, all told through the lens of a heartbreaking adult adoptee, his adoptive parents, his birth mother who is now desperate to contact her son, and the attorney she hires who is part of a Lesbian couple with an adopted bi-racial child. Secrets emerge, relationships fracture, but out of the wreckage, Hugo has built a moving, extraordinary story of hope. I loved it.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder
From award-winning novelist Lynne Hugo comes a masterful story about navigating the complexities of adoption and its aftermath that raises a question for every reader: Does fate direct our lives—or do our choices?
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Deana Wilkes, who’s needed braces to walk since a disabling accident long ago, seeks out Monica Connell, an attorney, to find the child she was forced to relinquish in a closed adoption thirty years ago. Back then, Deana believed that the passion between her and Tony, her married boss, meant they were destined for each other. It was wrong, Deana knew, but believed it was also meant to be. Tony’s long gone now, and Deana’s constructed a life out of the wreck of their affair. She’s ready to finally make things right and meet her son.
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But Monica’s wife, Angela, was adopted herself after an early history of abandonment and foster homes. Devoted to the memory of her parents, she’s certain that closed adoptions need to remain closed unless the adoptee seeks contact. She draws a red line: Monica cannot take the case. Monica, though, feels compelled to help Deana by her own complicated history, one she’s never revealed to Angela. As this wedge between them hardens, will Angie or Monica have the best custody claim to their own beloved adopted baby?
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Nobody knows what Deana’s son wants, including his adoptive parents. Not even redheaded Suzanne, and the possibility of love. After all, as an Iraq war vet and a long-distance truck driver, Daniel knows everything about hitting the road to avoid the confusion that’s plagued his life.
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Lynne Hugo’s thirteenth novel takes on the reverberating effects of sexual power dynamics in the workplace and vividly portrays lingering psychological wounds as characters struggle to reconcile self-determination with the sacrifices love demands.
