The Lost Mother is a 288-page novel which is set in the depression of the 1930s. It reflects the wrenching circumstances befalling the Talcott family in rural Vermont. Henry, the father, loses his job as a butcher and starts seeking another one, determined to provide his children, Margaret and Thomas, with basic sustenance. Being proud of himself, he determines to raise his children alone, rebuffing offers of help from his neighbors and his vanished wife's family. In this way, Henry prefers pride to family, which is a wrong and foolish choice. Henry's wife, Irene, also makes a foolish choice by abandoning her husband and not contacting her children, who keep longing for her. Irene's choice keeps Henry burdened. He decides to search for a new job, leaving his children with his long-time friend, Gladys, and her father, Old Bibeau, who is still angry with him. Unable to stand living with Old Bibeau, Henry takes the children to stay with their drunken aunt, Lena, and goes on with searching for a job. He is then unjustly arrested, and the children are taken by the Farleys, whose strange son's behavior forces them to leave the house and seek for their beloved mother. Unfortunately, when they find her, they learn that she is no longer interested in mothering, and that her new life with Mr. Dexter will not help them with their emotional security. As long as the father is jailed, and the mother is reluctant to join them, they end up homeless, fatherless, and motherless. Morris depicts these children well, capturing the moments of disappointment in their lives and expressing their thoughts, their dreams, and the efforts they make to restore their missing mother and learn from their parents' mistakes. Margaret claims that if she has little kids, she will “never leave them alone” (31). Margaret's argument shows that family history does not necessarily repeat itself. History itself constitutes an important part of this book that also involves fiction.

Morris's novel teaches us a number of lessons. Firstly, making choices is an act that involves responsibility, calls for considering the consequences, and demands that we be considerate, and that we take our time in order not to run into trouble. Secondly, the selfish are blind to reality. Thirdly, parenting is a demanding job which consists of patience, perseverance, shouldering responsibility, making sacrifices, caring, giving love, and self-denial. Fourthly, it is necessary for us to strike a balance between our capacities and expectations. By virtue of this balance, dreams that are unachievable will be avoided. Fifthly, pride makes people blind to reality. The proud make wrong choices and unwittingly do themselves and others harm.

The Lost Mother is a wonderful book whose prose is good, whose characters stay in readers' minds, and whose portrayal of the Alcotts in the Great Depression is marvelous. It is a book worth reading.