this novel was absolutely brutal. spent a night sobbing as I finished it. great commentary on how society at large - and the state specifically - both exhalt and revile mothers, the unrealistic standards mothers  (especially WOC) face, the dangers of the surveillance 

state, and how our justice system is always more punitive than rehabilitative. the double standards added in by juxtaposing the men’s and women’s schools was a nice (but heartbreaking) touch.