What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Second Mother
Film · 2015
If you loved The Second Mother, start with Maid (Molly Smith Metzler, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 3 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Second Mother across media.
If The Second Mother captivated you, it is because you value stories that expose the complex, often uncomfortable, emotional labor of motherhood.
Books on the same thread
The Mother's Recompense
Edith Wharton · Book · 1925
Shares a thread with The Second Mother: Mother-daughter relationships.
Like The Second Mother, this novel examines the heavy burden of maternal absence and the strained, complicated reunion between a mother and the daughter she once left behind.
The School for Good Mothers
Jessamine Chan · Book · 2022
Explores: Motherhood, Surveillance state, Artificial intelligence ethics.
This story mirrors the systemic pressures found in The Second Mother, highlighting how societal structures and class expectations ruthlessly judge a mother’s worth and her fitness to raise children.
The Optimist's Daughter
Eudora Welty · Book · 2011
Shares 2 threads with The Second Mother: Mother-Daughter Relationships, Coming-of-Age.
Much like the domestic tensions in The Second Mother, this narrative explores the baggage of the past and the difficult process of reconciling with family after years of distance.
The Help
Kathryn Stockett · Book · 2009
Explores: Race Relations, Civil Rights Movement, Female Friendship.
The Second Mother explores domestic hierarchy and class dynamics, themes that are central to this story as women navigate the restrictive social structures of the American South during the sixties.
Series on the same thread
Maid
Molly Smith Metzler · Series · 2021
Explores: Single Motherhood, Breaking the Cycle of Abuse, Resilience.
If the struggle for stability in The Second Mother resonated with you, you will appreciate this raw portrayal of a mother cleaning houses to build a future for her child.
Mildred Pierce
Series · 2011
Shares a thread with The Second Mother: Domestic Drama.
This series echoes the themes of sacrifice and domestic labor seen in The Second Mother, focusing on the fraught relationship between a mother and her daughter amidst economic hardship.
Mom
Eddie Gorodetsky · Series · 2013
Explores: Dysfunctional Family, Addiction Recovery, Mother-Daughter Relationship.
The Second Mother highlights the guilt and difficulty of long-term separation, a core conflict that drives this show as a mother and daughter work to repair their fractured, dysfunctional bond.
Podcasts on the same thread
Glass
Podcast
Explores: infertility, family secrets, identity.
Similar to the personal, intimate focus of The Second Mother, this podcast delves into the private family secrets and identity struggles that shape a woman's experience with motherhood.
Nice White Parents
Serial Productions & The New York Times · Podcast · 2022
Explores: systemic inequality, educational reform, privilege and power.
Just as The Second Mother critiques class inequality through the lens of domestic service, this series investigates how privilege and power dynamics shape the environments where children are raised.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Second Mother about a nanny working in São Paulo?
Yes, The Second Mother follows Val, who works as a nanny for a family in São Paulo for thirteen years while living away from her own daughter, Jessica, who remained in Pernambuco.
Does Jessica appear in The Second Mother?
Yes, Jessica reappears in Val's life during The Second Mother as Fabinho prepares for his university entrance exams, leading to a complex reunion between the mother and daughter who spent thirteen years apart.
Why does Val feel guilty in The Second Mother?
In The Second Mother, Val experiences guilt because she spent thirteen years working as a nanny in São Paulo to provide financial stability, which required her to leave her daughter Jessica to be raised by relatives in Pernambuco.
What is the primary conflict in The Second Mother?
The primary conflict in The Second Mother involves the emotional tension between Val and her daughter Jessica after their long separation, compounded by Val's existing role as a nanny for Fabinho in São Paulo.