Alex’s Comments (group member since Aug 23, 2011)

Alex’s comments from the Ask Mona Simpson! group.

You answered an earlier question about 50/50, specifically about the idea of broken promise between a young couple, but another 50/50 scenario, I think, is also very important to your novel: the division in narration between Lola and Claire. Which becomes a comparison of mother figures for William. Which is complicated by the fact that Lola is the loving, patient, but ultimately hired mother, while Claire is the biological but busy, time-limited mother.

It creates a class division within the role of mother, and when Lola is dismissed from regular charge of William--when it is crystal clear that one mother is expendable and the other is not--it is one of the most nerve-grabbing moments of the novel. And it seems as though Claire understands this, that creating and dismantling a family member through the giving or discontinuation of payment is somehow a strange position to be in, although an exceedingly common one. Was that moral grey area a region you were actively thinking about, or am I entirely off-base here? If I'm not, I'd love to hear any further thoughts you had when creating and imagining this particular relationship.