Not a Good Mother

A new mother; a new country; a missing child. Karabi George weaves these three ingredients masterfully in her tightly paced and intricately plotted debut NOT A GOOD MOTHER. When Reema immigrates to Canada after a hasty marriage, she is isolated and lonely — feelings compounded by the demands of her new baby and a growing coldness from her husband. When her infant daughter is kidnapped from a public park during a playdate, Reema is forced to navigate public outcry, an unsupportive spouse, and an avalanche of questions, even as suspicion falls on her. Desperate to get her baby back, Reema is prepared to do what it takes to learn the truth. A deliciously twisty story of suspense and betrayal, NOT A GOOD MOTHER will stay with you long after the last page is devoured. A must-read!

In her thrilling debut, NOT A GOOD MOTHER, Karabi George distills so precisely the sometimes-suffocating loneliness of postpartum and the mental tricks it can play on us — as a new mother, are you right to worry, or are you just being paranoid? Who can you really trust? This is a novel about a mother's worst nightmare — a marriage falling apart, her baby kidnapped, the blame on her — but a story of resilience and survival too. From the tense first chapters, to the explosive twist and the perfect ending, I loved every page of this book.

In Karabi George's heart-stopping debut, a split-second decision shatters a mother's life. Already isolated as a newcomer to Canada, Reema is desperate for connection. But when her baby daughter is abducted by a supposed mom friend, Reema frantically races against the clock to find her child. Captivating and propulsive, NOT A GOOD MOTHER is both a nail-biting suspense and a chilling plea to support women when they are at their most vulnerable. A stunningly authentic portrayal of motherhood, marriage, and identity with astonishing twists, it will make you think twice about who to trust.

In NOT A GOOD MOTHER Karabi George explores what happens when one fateful decision sets into motion every mother's worst fear. The twists and ticking-clock tension make it a read-in-a-day thriller, but it's George's sharp insights and unique perspective as a new Canadian that elevate this debut.

NOT A GOOD MOTHER deftly handles the emotional intensity, isolation, and raw vulnerability of being a new mother, while keeping you on the edge of your seat in a race to find a kidnapped baby. Complete with twists and turns and pulse-pounding moments, but also with a heart-wrenching core of how overwhelming and lonely early motherhood can be, this was an intricate and truly stunning debut.

A pulse-pounding thriller that explores the isolation and expectations of motherhood through the unique lens of a new Canadian. Twists, cliffhangers, and shocking betrayals make NOT A GOOD MOTHER a welcome and original addition to the genre.

NOT A GOOD MOTHER by Karabi George is a knockout debut thriller that'll make your heart sit in your throat. Tense, twisted, and deeply emotional, this book will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end, and will continue to linger with you a long time thereafter.

In NOT A GOOD MOTHER, Karabi George depicts the universally understood terror of a mother's child being taken from her in a way that is incredibly unsettling and will not let you stop turning the pages. On an even deeper level, she gives us insight into what it's like to experience marriage, motherhood, and loss as a new immigrant, the feeling of loneliness, bias and hopelessness. This book is an edge-of-your-seat thriller while at the same time highlighting how quick society is to judge mothers on their merit, how isolating new motherhood can be and the need to do better by all women in every stage of their mothering journey.