An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.

“What a delight! Like Mother, Like Mother is sharp, fun, and witty.”—Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“A sprawling family saga, briskly told with the lightest of touches and an often-surprising sense of humor.”—Rumaan Alam, bestselling author of Leave the World Behind

Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blond hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.

But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents’ dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?

Spanning generations, and populated by complex, unforgettable characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we’re meant to be.

"Lila Peirera is a force to be reckoned with. Raised in 1970s Detroit by her abusive father and stern Bubbe after her mother Zelda's early death, Lila escaped the poverty of her childhood to reach stratospheric heights as editor-in-chief of The Washington Globe. There, she exposes political scandals and establishes a reputation as a no-nonsense, straight-talker. At home, she's just as tough, leaving the raising of her three daughters to her kind and loyal husband. Having always craved more of her mother's attention - and having long-questioned the circumstances surrounding her grandmother Zelda's death - Lila's youngest daughter, Grace, writes an autobiographical novel. In her book, Grace speculates that Zelda never died, rather, she abandoned her children, forcing Lila to become the hard-edged, dispassionate woman Grace grew up with. Grace's book is her attempt to make sense of her mother, but she could never have imagined that Lila would die shortly after its publication. Lila leaves Grace a posthumous directive: find out the truth about what really happened to Zelda. Zigzagging between Washington, D.C., Detroit, and New York City, and probing the truths that all families attempt to hide between generations, Like Mother, Like Mother is a smart, lively, and deeply moving novel about the inescapability of genetic inheritance"--