All My Mother's Lovers

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One of Electric Literature's Most Anticipated Debuts of Early 2020, this novel unfolds over nine days, exploring family ties, grief, and identity. After the sudden death of Maggie Krause's mother in a car crash, Maggie discovers five sealed envelopes addressed to mysterious men in her mother's will. Despite their strained relationship, especially since Maggie came out, she never imagined they would run out of time to understand each other. Now in her late twenties and navigating a new serious relationship, Maggie wonders if the love story of her parents holds any truth for her. Overwhelmed by grief and family tensions, she decides to escape the shiva and deliver her mother's letters herself. This road trip across California reveals strangers' memories of a hidden life that contrasts sharply with the mother Maggie thought she knew. As she uncovers the layers of her mother's past, Maggie confronts the complexities of her mother's marriage, her ambivalence toward Judaism, and her disapproval of Maggie's queerness. This poignant journey forces Maggie to reevaluate everything she believed about her mother, leading to profound realizations about love, identity, and the ties that bind families together.