Imagining Step-motherhood in Deus Lubacha’s If She Were Alive

This article examines the concept of step-motherhood in Deus Lubacha’s If She Were Alive. It specifically examines the effect of step-motherhood’s negative characteristics on stepmother-stepdaughter and step-sibling relationships. Using the psychoanalytic approach (specifically Juliet Mitchell’s psycho-feminism), the article accentuates the various ways in which step-motherhood impinges upon step-mother-stepdaughter and stepsibling rivalry and relationships. The article argues that, at the core of the disruptive stepmother-stepdaughter and stepsibling relationships in the context of step-mothering is the incompleteness of the institution of step-motherhood, primarily because, unlike biological motherhood, step-motherhood displays fewer positive traits in the process of family socialisation and development. In this regard, psychoanalytic theorists contend that the characters in a literary work are projections of the author’s psyche. This psyche, however, is perceived differently in life and literature. Notably, a violation emerges in the representation of step-motherhood, as the novel under review further illustrates. The breach in this article may include disruptions to the family, aggressive behaviours, favouritism, hatred, and anger. All of these are the results of the actions and characters of step-motherhood within and outside the familial settings.