The Accidental Mother

Motherhood, in all of its forms, is a transformative journey filled with dramatic highs and lows.

Unfortunately, there are countless people who find insufficient nurturing as children. As a result, they often seek out a surrogate to fill this maternal void.

As demonstrated in "The Accidental Mother: Stories of Mothers and Their Children," many compassionate women recognize this need for nurturing in others and selflessly step into the role of caretaker for those who have none.

Author Judith Forsythe pulls from personal experiences to present a series of fictional short stories that each explore the various ways women fulfill the role of mother.

Whether it's an illegitimate daughter giving birth to a child during her senior year of high school ("Deferring to Gravity"), a teenage girl struggling with a difficult family as she comes to terms with the consequences of her actions ("Stranded on the Some Day Isle"), or a woman trying to reinvent herself after years spent caring for her half sister's children ("I Can Explain Everything"), these seven life-affirming short stories explore deeply relatable characters who struggle to understand family, loyalty, and what it means to be a mom.