Mothers and Sons

A Novel

By: Adam Haslett

Narrated by: Andrew Gibson, Janet Metzger

A mother and son, estranged for years, must grapple with the shared secret that drove their lives apart in this enthralling story about family, forgiveness, and how a fleeting act of violence can change a life forever, by "one of the country's most talented writers" (Wall Street Journal)

At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter's numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him.

Ann, his mother, who runs a women's retreat center she founded after leaving his father, is hurt by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built. She long ago put behind her the decision that divided her from her son. But as Peter’s case plunges him further into the fraught memory of his first love and the night of violence that changed his life, he and his mother must confront the secret that tore them apart.

With unsurpassed emotional depth, Mothers and Sons reveals all that is lost by looking away from the past and the love that might be restored by facing it. In his spellbinding new novel, Adam Haslett demonstrates yet again his mastery of “a rich assortment of literary gifts” (New York Times).

©2025 Adam Haslett (P)2025 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“Mothers and Sons is both moving and deeply compelling, a story about the search for our own humanity, and the lengths we will go to maintain it. A new book by Adam Haslett is always cause for celebration. He is one of our very best writers.”—Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake and The Dutch House

“Mothers and Sons is like sonar in a lake, pinging out everything submerged, the hidden stories, the shames and the joys. There’s nothing else like it. Haslett’s characters feel so real, their choices so hard, their lives so true. He is everything you want in a writer.”—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author of Less

“A family-in-crisis story that keenly captures deep-seated fears and regrets…The strength of Haslett’s storytelling is its deliberation, slowly peeling back the veneers of Peter's and Ann’s professional accomplishments and cool public personas to reveal storms of guilt and fear…Haslett’s sophisticated grasp of the ways that people over-police their feelings makes it a remarkably acute and effective character study."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Not my cup of tea

I was looking for a story about mothers and sons. This is not it. This is a story about a very unhappy, troubled gay man and his lesbian mother. Lots of gay sex so beware if that’s not your jam.

Compassionate with great depth of knowledge

e depth of the characters and the richness of descriptions. The compassion toward the characters especially the immigrants.

Beautifully narrated. Sad but lovely story.

It was interesting to learn more about the legal process involved in obtaining asylum. The main character, a gay immigration lawyer, is one you can’t help but love. And his mother is a real trip!

A wonderful book!

Loved everything about this book. Important message conveyed in an enthralling way on how unresolved trauma affects us.

The details put into each character!

Took me a little bit to get into the book, but as I kept reading it just got better and better!!

Amazing book. First-rate performances. Loved every minute of it…

…except the otherwise impeccable narrator’s repeated mispronunciation of New York City’s Houston Street. If not for that one detail, I’d be inclined to complain that we can’t rate audiobooks six stars out of five.

Good multiple narrators. Tiresome characters.

None of the characters are likable. I don’t need to identify with characters to appreciate their stories, but they need to have some appeal that makes their stories interesting enough to listen/read on. The mother, the son, the immigrants, are all self absorbed, cliche, tiresome—generally unlikable to the point that I don’t care how their stories are resolved.