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Mother Tongue : A Novel - Naima Brown

Mother Tongue

A Novel

By: Naima Brown

Paperback | 25 March 2025

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What if being true to yourself means hurting everyone around you?

Brynn is a claustrophobic suburban mother on the brink . . .

Eric, her husband, is transforming in dark and dangerous ways . . .

Their daughter, Jenny, can't fathom the storm barrelling towards her . . .

When Brynn awakes from a coma speaking fluent French, she seizes the opportunity to start a new life in Paris, a seismic personal transformation that leaves a slew of shattered lives in its wake.

Darkly funny and profoundly insightful, Mother Tongue challenges our expectations of motherhood and our beliefs about women's lives. It is at once an exhilarating tale of escape and a warning about the cost of renewal.

About the Author

Naima Brown holds degrees in Middle Eastern Studies, Anthropology and Religious Studies. Her essays have appeared in Vogue Australia, the Guardian Australia, and more. She wrote, along with Melissa Doyle, the non-fiction book How to Age Against the Machine. She has spent over a decade working in news, current affairs and documentary - save for her brief stint in reality TV, which inspired her first novel, The Shot. She was born and raised in Northern California before living and working in Yemen and Afghanistan, and now lives in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales with her husband and her dog. Mother Tongue is her second novel.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Mother Tongue:

'A mother's love is supposed to be immutable. What happens when you lose your language, maybe your mind? This is a story with guts that will charm and alarm in equal measure. Naima Brown is one of our most interesting storytellers and Mother Tongue should go straight to the top of your to-be-read pile.' Hayley Scrivenor

'Darkly funny, surprising and ridiculously fresh, Mother Tongue is a searing portrait of the ways motherhood transforms us but also doesn't. It is a daring exploration of identity, full of suspense and bubbling with tension. Brown takes us to places most novels don't have the guts to.' Jessie Stephens

'Mother Tongue is the perfect blend of page-turning drama and sharp feminist wit. Naima Brown brilliantly exposes the double standards placed on mothers, all while keeping you fully entertained from start to finish.' Dee Salmin, host of triple j The Hook Up

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