The Mothers

Publisher's Summary  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  “Bittersweet, sexy, morally fraught.” ( The New York Times Book Review ) "Luminous… engrossing and poignant, this is one not to miss." ( People , Pick of the Week)  "Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page." ( The Washington Post ) The beloved New York Times best-selling novel about young love and a big secret in a small community, from the author of The Vanishing Half .  Set within a contemporary Black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.  "All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."  It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, 17-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is 21, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance - and the subsequent cover-up - will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, …