In this striking debut, an ambitious academic faces new and unwanted choices when she is confronted with overnight motherhood.

Dr. Mona Melamed is a happily married, purposefully childfree linguist at a top Southern California university. Her days are spent researching and stressing about finally, finally securing tenure. That is, until her brother-in-law and his wife die, leaving their six-year-old son orphaned.

Everyone in Mona's orbit expects her to take the lead in caring for the child, including --- to some extent --- Mona herself. Motherhood is not something she wanted; it is still not something she wants. And yet, she finds herself negotiating a temporary leave to start looking after the boy. Along the way, as the gender expectations thrust upon Mona intensify, her tenure becomes threatened.

FAMILY LANGUAGE confronts that age old question --- Can women really have it all? --- and uncovers the misogyny behind it. As Mona tries to balance her new responsibilities as a mother, she has to ask herself how hard is she willing to fight for the career she’s earned, and is it fair that she even has to?