This week on Reading Materials, we’re talking about Porcupines by Fran Fabriczki — a story that takes us through complicated mother-daughter relationships, school trips, and lives unfolding across different timelines.

We chat about the messy realities of family relationships, how the past can shape the present, and whether jumping between timelines adds to a story or leaves us scrambling to keep up. Plus, we revisit the unique chaos of school trips and all the questionable decisions that seem to come with them.