Review

Angela Savage's Mother of Pearl explores motherhood and surrogacy but get to the heart of complex issues

By Zoya Patel
Updated July 2 2021 - 2:36am, first published August 10 2019 - 12:00am
Author Angela Savage. Picture: Erin Slattery
Author Angela Savage. Picture: Erin Slattery

Weaving together the narratives of three women, each holding unique subject positions, Mother of Pearl is a deep exploration of what it means to be a mother and sister in a complex, globalised culture. Mod is a young Thai woman who is raising her son as a single mother in conditions of poverty. Anna is an international aid worker, who has spent the past decade away from Australia, working in its neighbouring developing countries. And Meg, Anna's sister, has battled years of infertility and failed IVF treatments. Their lives are thrown together when Meg decides to pursue surrogacy through an agency in Thailand, against Anna's advice. Mod becomes her surrogate, and the three women embark on a journey of navigating the cultural differences, economic disparities and complexity of the surrogacy relationship.

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