The Home-Maker

A really great, satisfying novel about the patriarchy, gender roles, and conformity - written in the 1920s, but still just as fresh and relevant in the 2020s.

Super brief summary: There is a family. It's made of:
- A dreamy, poetry-obsessed, kind-hearted dad
- A super efficient, super productive, super practical mom
- 3 kids

An accident happens and the roles are reversed. The rest of the story is just - chef's kiss! Woven into this are these amazingly empathetic and sweet meditations on the mind of an ornery 3 year old. I'm not even joking, these were almost spiritual - they brought a tear to my eye.

Loved the ending. Highly recommend! Read this, coupled with Richard Reeves's Of Boys and Men (about how gender roles constrain men, women, all genders!), and/or E.M. Forster's The Machine Stops (just incredibly prescient novels from 100+ years ago).