Their romance is opposed by many of the Mothers, who see Nadia as a troubled harlot and Luke as a damaged boy with something to prove. Nadia soon finds herself romantically involved with Luke, the pastor's son. As a result, both Nadia and Aubrey feel lost and parentless, finding some solace in each other as they struggle to come of age in their small town. Aubrey's life, though it looks god-fearing and perfect, is plagued by abuse-her stepfather abuses her and her mother. Nadia is best friends with Aubrey, a timid, plain, and righteous girl who focuses primarily on the church and her family.

Nadia lives with her father, a Marine, and is avidly exploring her sexuality, partying, and dreaming of her college education and life beyond it, which would transport her away from her pain and her motherlessness. Seventeen-year-old Nadia has made a reputation for herself in town after the death of her mother by suicide six months before the story takes place. The Mothers offer a more theoretical element to the story, voicing their opinions on the facets of a “good” or “proper” black girl, what women can and cannot do with their bodies, and what it means to be god-fearing in the modern world.

The novel has two main components: the stories of Nadia, Aubrey, and Luke, and a chorus of voices, “the Mothers,” opinionated churchgoers who gossip, reflecting on the state of the small-town community where the story takes place.

When Nadia becomes pregnant with Luke's baby, the community is wracked by the secret, and Nadia cannot escape it, even after years trying to hide on the other side of the country. The main characters are 17-year-old Nadia, who is grieving her mother's recent suicide Luke, the son of a pastor and football star who was recently taken out of the game because of a serious injury, and Aubrey, who falls into her religion to avoid the horrors enacted by her abusive stepfather.

The Mothers (2016) by Britt Bennett is a novel about a small, tight-knit Black community in Southern California, and the lasting impact of a secret on a grieving girl, her boyfriend, and her best friend.

The mothers brit