Important, noble jobs help a mother and son avoid each other, until they can't

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Peter Fischer deals with his inner struggles by pouring himself into his work. He's an immigration lawyer in Manhattan, and his job is a constant crisis situation. He fights for asylum seekers to gain legal status in the US, offering them a secure and promising new life. But if he loses, the outcome is deportation.

Peter's mother, Ann, has taken on a new role that is just as emotionally demanding as her previous one, even if the setting is more peaceful. She runs a spiritual retreat in Vermont focused on helping women who feel hopeless, disconnected, or are hurting find a sense of belonging and self-value. She has a special gift for helping others confront and deal with their pain, even as she struggles to confront her own.

Both are devoted to serving others. Both hold a shared secret. And a time of reckoning is fast approaching for both the mother and the son.

In "Mothers and Sons," acclaimed novelist Adam Haslett recounts the story of this couple with great empathy and understanding. The author of three previous works of fiction, of which two were Pulitzer Prize finalists ("Imagine Me Gone,' 2016 and the short story collection "You Are Not a Stranger Here,' 2002), no one is better suited to describe the highs and lows of family love. In "Mothers and Sons," Haslett portrays a family who are both marked by past pain and struggle with today's social turmoil.

For Peter, the root of his addiction to work lies in his past: As a teenager, he struggled with repressed desires and eventually came to terms with being gay. Then, in the midst of his parents' divorce, turmoil erupted when Peter's crush on the captivating and charismatic Jared turned tragic. The decision Ann made to leave her husband, who was also her father, not only shattered their family but also ended her career as an Episcopal minister.

Peter’s job prevents him from remembering things, and it serves as a convenient excuse to avoid getting too close to people and to politely decline social invitations from Ann. Every case he takes on requires a crash course on the politics of the client's homeland and the trauma they faced before fleeing. In immigration court, missing a deadline can lead to arrest and deportation, which can be a death sentence for political refugees. There are children who could be left with lifelong problems, and clients who lose hope and simply vanish. Peter is the last chance for people from Honduras, Russia, Nepal, and Albania to get justice.

I've never read a more informed and vividly rendered account of Peter's daunting profession, a job that in real life seems likely to become even more demanding with the incoming presidential administration's promised increase in immigration enforcement.

Peter bears the burden until Vasel, an Albanian refugee who nearly lost his life for being gay, breaches his defenses and awakens Peter's long-forgotten trauma. He starts to make errors, and errors can have severe and lasting effects.

Similar to Peter, Ann serves as a helper, and like Peter, her idealism often makes her neglect the needs of her everyday life. This was one of Peter's criticisms of Ann, noting that even in critical moments, like when their father was seriously ill, she would still focus on her writing rather than attend to their pressing issues. As he put it, "My father could be dying in the next room, yet it's still the printed word that has her full attention. As if this life – our life – is just an interruption to the true meaning of things." The ability of the retreat center to thrive largely depends on Ann and her partner, but their hard-earned peace of mind is put to the test when Ann becomes drawn to another woman.

The mother and son seem meant to remain estranged, but six years after they last saw each other, Ann's home is where Peter ends up when his emotional vulnerability and loneliness take a physical toll. He gradually starts making his way back to his family. However, it's a challenging journey, as each of them uncovers layers of sadness, guilt, and resentment in their search for the affection they once shared. At times, they scrutinize their own and each other's intentions so harshly that I wished for a softer approach. Peter's sister Liz, a free-spirited mom with a young child and a husband who's a gamer, brings much-needed comic relief from the intense family drama. I felt like I could have used more of her warmth and more details about the everyday aspects of Peter's and Ann's lives.

A sub-plot about one of Ann's Revolutionary War ancestors who is involved in a form of genocide doesn't really have much impact. However, Haslett's portrayal of Ann and Peter is hard to match, and other mother-son pairs, such as Vasel's fiercely protective mother, a Honduran client whose son will do anything to give her confidence, Liz and her energetic little boy, and Jared and his stylish, enigmatic mother, echo the intensity of their strong bond.

Despite avoiding conflict or placing blame, a faint spark of a desire for reconciliation still lingers. "Mothers and Sons" chronicles an emotionally intense journey that ultimately feels authentic and fulfilling, and Haslett's account of Peter's life is unprecedented in its portrayal of a frontline worker overwhelmed by the weight of his responsibilities, specifically in the context of immigration issues. Both he and Ann poignantly depict the consequences that result from prioritizing the needs of others to the neglect of one's own.

In the end, the story of this complicated mother and son relationship realizes one of the main reasons we read fiction: to gain insight into others and their unbearable challenges, to grieve when they fail and rejoice when they persevere.

Mary Ann Gwinn, a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist residing in Seattle, focuses her writing on books and authors.

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