“Mom Brain” is the second book from Nicole Hackett, and it’s one of several recent novels that explore motherhood—in the same vein as “Mother Is a Verb” by Kim Hooper or “Nine Perfect Strangers” by Liane Moriarty. It’s also, arguably, a book designed to be chosen for book clubs and feminism debates, as it includes handy discussion questions at the end.
Georgia’s Brain
The main “Mom Brain” in question here is Georgia Evans’s. Georgia’s a patent lawyer with a pharmacy degree. Her family life consists of a caring, supportive husband named Will, who’s an American literature teacher, and two daughters: Clover, age 5, and Ruby, nearly 1.
At the start of the story, Georgia is in a rough state, practically having a mental breakdown. A scandal at her workplace blew up when her name was leaked as an anonymous source in an exposé article. Her bosses have dismissed her account as “a misrepresentation of the truth,” which many people online believe to mean, “Georgia lied.”
What’s the scandal? Well, that’s not explained very well, but it has something to do with “sexual harassment” and an incident in a designated nursing area. The important part we’re supposed to understand is that Georgia is getting blasted on social media, and some people are even vandalizing her home.
Georgia’s firm represents a company called SHE, run by a septuagenarian powerhouse businesswoman named Cecilia Clements. The firm signs Georgia up for a controversial weeklong retreat run by SHE at a resort in O’ahu and for participation in something called The Program.
It’s designed to help new mothers “take back control of their lives” through a “groundbreaking curriculum based on three main pillars: Relearn, Reflect, and Redefine”—whatever that means. Wanting to keep her job, Georgia grudgingly accepts.
The resort is immense and luxurious. Each woman is partnered with four other new mothers to share accommodations. Each has different reasons for being there, but nobody knows what The Program will actually entail.
Using cult-like compliance techniques, Cecilia begins putting the women through a series of trials and experiments. They include things such as eerily lifelike virtual reality simulations, hallucinogenics, newly patented pharmaceuticals, and direct brain stimulation. This is all done to literally rewire their brains to eliminate the dreaded “mom brain.” In between sessions are breaks for snorkeling, paddleboarding, and other fun stuff.
What Is Mom Brain?
“Mom brain” is a popular term for the forgetfulness, mental fog, and attention lapses some women notice during pregnancy and after giving birth.
It’s more of a popular label than official medical diagnosis, but there’s science to support the concept, including some measurable brain changes. In Hackett’s version, “mom brain” also comes with hyper-neuroticism and unreasonable impulses toward self-sacrifice, which makes it sound like hell.
Hackett’s writing style in the first part of the book might be an atmospheric choice. Georgia’s voice is fragmented, impulsive, and unfocused. Georgia frequently undermines her statements immediately afterward or adds new elements within a single sentence. Digressions from the main action are plentiful. The result is often very cluttered, perhaps much like an actual “mom brain.”
Wives and Mothers
The story idea is reminiscent of Ira Levin’s “The Stepford Wives,” a notoriously dark and famous satire from 1972. The problem is that, if “Mom Brain” is supposed to be a satire, it mostly misses the mark, or perhaps it doesn’t go nearly deep enough to be effective or do justice to the subject.
Although some background is given to the characters, there isn’t much of a logical reason given for the things they do. Someone tells a room full of women that she’s going to rewire their brains without giving any details. Yes, The Program is set up like a cult, but not one woman stands up and says: “Uh, excuse me, you’re going to do what with my brain?”
Late one night, when Georgia sees something truly sinister at a neighboring villa, she essentially ignores it; this is a good example of how she reacts to most events. Georgia is a woman with both pharmacy and law degrees, yet somehow she’s more malleable than a wad of Play-Doh and just about as smart. It’s hard to admire such an utterly feckless heroine, especially when we’ve been given no reason beyond “mom brain.”
One might wonder if the real issue at stake here is the responsibility that comes with motherhood. The changes a woman experiences—physical, emotional, financial, and, yes, chemical—can be enormous. Maybe the fantasy is this: Rather than directly dealing with a sudden cognition problem, you can imagine a program that just zaps your brain back to normal.
A novel exploring the potential realities of “mom brain” is a worthy pursuit, but this novel is not a great way to start a serious discussion.
‘Mom Brain: A Novel’
By Nicole Hackett
Harper Muse: April 21, 2026
Paperback, 368 pages
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