Between Mom and Jo
A Young Adult Novel by Julie Anne Peters
In this LAMBDA Literary Award-winning book for young adults, Julie Anne Peters portrays fourteen-year-old Nick, a teen who is devastated by the separation of his parents—who happen to be two women. Forced to confront painful realities involving both the dissolution of his family and opposition from the outside world about what legitimately constitutes a family unit, Nick must not only come to terms with these truths, but decide where he stands between his two moms.
A Realistic Portrayal of Gay Parenthood
As the concept of gay parenthood is extensively controversial in this country, one might expect Peters to depict Nick's parents Erin and Jo as affirmatively as possible to convince the straight world that gays are just as capable of being good parents as heterosexuals. Instead, Peters bravely and appropriately presents them as human and thus imperfect, possessing strengths and flaws like any traditional set of parents.
For example, Nick's biological mother Erin is a responsible caretaker but emotionally preoccupied and occasionally critical. Jo is fiercely independent, affectionate, and playful, yet she also wrestles with alcoholism and financial culpability. Even after Jo achieves sobriety, an element of dysfunction persists within the family. Erin begins seeing another woman while still living with Jo, and after Jo moves out, Erin immerses herself in the new relationship and is quite callous and resistant to Nick's need to see Jo.
In an interview with Mombian, Peters says that this problematic depiction of lesbian parenting was intentional. "I feel strongly that the movement toward equality progresses more rapidly if we're honest about our human frailties; if people see we have common struggles," she asserts.
Nick and Jo
Another way in which Peters subverts stereotyping in regard to gay parenting is in Nick's stronger affiliation with Jo than with Erin. Because the two share a considerable bond and have a rather profound understanding of each other, Nick's distress and heartbreak intensifies with each day that Jo is gone. In addition, Erin's new relationship polarizes her and Nick, especially after her new partner Kerri moves in.
After much inner turmoil, Nick courageously discloses how he feels about Jo to Erin. "You're my birth mom," he explains. "Jo's my real mom." His admission is both poignant and thought provoking; mainstream belief would have one assume that Nick would be closer to Erin and perhaps disengage from Jo after her departure. Peters proves that the opposite is true—Nick feels somewhat betrayed by Erin and reestablishes contact with Jo at every opportunity. It is also apparent that Jo is as strongly attached to Nick as he is to her; although she makes an effort to keep her distance at Erin's request, Jo too is invested in maintaining her relationship with Nick.
Despite Nick's understandable resentment toward his mother's new lover, it is ironically Kerri who encourages Erin to allow Nick not only to see Jo but eventually to move in with her. The attachment between Nick and Jo is evident to Kerri, who is able to convince Erin to acknowledge it. In turn, Erin is gradually able to appreciate her son's true feelings instead of deny them and cause him more pain.
Between Mom and Jo (ISBN: 978-0-316-06710-2), 232 pages
Copyright Alison Impey, PhotoAlto/Veer
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