How to Lose Your Mother

How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast is a memoir that resonates deeply with anyone who has ever stood at the complicated crossroads of caring for aging parents while still navigating their own life. At its core, this is a story about stepping into a role you’re not quite ready for—becoming the parent to your parents, while still trying to be a daughter, a partner, a mother, and a whole person.

With sharp wit and emotional clarity, Jong-Fast chronicles the stretch of time when her mother, the iconic feminist author Erica Jong, and her stepfather could no longer manage on their own. Suddenly, she is in charge of their finances, their belongings, their choices. It’s a logistical nightmare—but more than that, it’s an emotional reckoning. As she unpacks their lives, she’s also unpacking her own childhood, shaped by a mother whose fierce love was as overwhelming as it was unpredictable.

Erica Jong was magnetic, wildly creative, and often absent—larger than life and yet, at times, out of reach. This memoir doesn’t just explore the difficulty of elder care; it dives into the legacy of growing up with a parent who was both an icon and a mystery. All the while, Molly is juggling her own family: her husband is diagnosed with cancer, her kids still need her, and she’s constantly questioning how she became who she is.

What makes this book so compelling isn’t just the story itself—it’s Molly Jong-Fast’s voice. She’s warm, self-aware, bitingly funny, and unflinchingly honest. Reading her feels like holding the hand of a friend who knows exactly what it means to laugh through tears.

This is more than a memoir about caregiving or family dynamics—it’s a book for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by love, loss, or responsibility. It’s for anyone who has ever tried to make sense of a parent’s legacy while creating a life of their own. It’s tender, brilliant, and utterly unforgettable. You won’t want it to end.