In 'That Kind Of Mother,' A White Mom, A Black Son
Rumaan Alam's new novel starts out as a tale of female friendship between a woman and her child's nanny. Then it becomes a different sort of story — one about an unconventional parenthood.
The first time Rumaan Alam appeared on NPR, Linda Wertheimer asked him how he developed "a nearly flawless ear for the way women talk." His debut novel Rich And Pretty followed two young women, best friends who grow up and, necessarily, apart.
His new, second novel begins as another story about a female relationship — this one between Rebecca, a white poet and first-time mom, and Priscilla, a black woman who works as her nanny. Then Priscilla becomes pregnant and dies in childbirth, and Rebecca decides that
