Odd Mom Out

Jane Porter
5 Spot (2007)
ISBN 9780446699235
Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (8/07)


Singled out for being different can be uncomfortable, but imagine you are a nine–year-old girl whose mother is the talk of the neighborhood for all the wrong reasons. Ouch! Jane Porter’s latest novel covers this premise with wit and sensitivity. Eva wants to fit in at her school in the upper-class area of Seattle. But her mother, Marta, remembers the area as the place she was shipped away from as a rebellious teenager. Only an ailing mother and a promising career move bring her home again.

We are quickly drawn into the life of a single mom and her super-intelligent daughter who dreams of the wedding that will force her mom out of singledom and into everyone else’s world of two parents. Marta stresses over her job, Eva’s happiness, family obligations, everything except what her daughter thinks is important, which includes wearing the perfect clothes, driving the right car and having a man in her bed. Marta’s priorities are very different. “If you’re part of a pack, you must think like the pack and follow the pack leader, and I won’t do it. I’m not a follower. I’m a lone wolf. Leader of my own pack.”

The author skillfully introduces the world of the rich stay-at-home mom, obsessed with being the best PTA member ever. But even as we begin to despise Taylor, the author displays her humanity and how her world is probably not as perfect as it appears. We are also reminded that the work world is still dominated by men and unfortunately women are forced to follow a different set of rules. “It’s time corporate America realized that working moms offer our companies the same thing we offer our families:  ethics, integrity, and loyalty. Just because we love our children doesn’t mean we don’t love our jobs.” Amen!

It is easy to admire Marta for sticking to her guns, living her life the way she wants to. She had her daughter courtesy of a sperm donor, has her own Harley, drives an old pickup truck and seems to wear combat boots everywhere! Marta likes to remind us of how happy she is with her choices and how she wouldn’t change anything. That is until a combination of events happens including an encounter with Luke, the giant of a man she suddenly can’t wait to see again. Marta who had been happy for ten years without a companion suddenly feels like her world is turned upside down. 

A well-intentioned friend explains that biologically it all makes sense because she’s not producing as much oxytocin as when her daughter was younger, so now she’s more open for sexual attraction. My own son is ten, so that explains a few things in my personal life! Another friend reminds her that she “loved being married…and I want to have that again. Not because I’m weak. Not because I can’t make it on my own, but because love feels good. Love makes me a better, and happier, person.”

As a single mother myself, I enjoyed reading about the angst I share with Marta about whether I’m making the right choices for my children. I appreciated Eva’s perspective. Sometimes we think we know what’s going on in children’s heads, but we really don’t. Readers in other situations can appreciate what it is like to be different, trying to please everyone, including yourself, all at the same time. And of course who wouldn’t be attracted to the sensitive Luke? He doesn’t come in to rescue the damsel in distress, but complements her personality, adding depth and fullness to her life. Who wouldn’t want that?

Marta’s two best friends support her as much as they can long distance. It reminds me how important it is to hang on to those special people who support us and know our history, both the good and the bad. All in all, “Odd Mom Out” is a fun read, with some thought-provoking subjects thrown in. It not only entertained me, but made me think about my own options and the decisions I make, or don’t make. Here’s to being just a little bit odd and still happy!

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