Mother, Mother is a psychological thriller that has several unexpected plot twists. It's told from two different perspectives. Young Will, who is home schooled and believed to be Autistic and teenage Violet, expressing herself with religion and drugs. Their older sister, Rose, left a few years earlier and it's between Will and Violet that what transpired to the point Rose left and what is happening in the present is revealed.
The mother, Josephine, is a controlling freak and the father is seldom seen or heard - busy with business and drinking. But when Violet has a drug induced episode one evening at dinner, which she says she saw Rose in the hallway and her brother ends up hurt, is when the family starts spiraling even further out of control. Violet is put into a psych ward by her mother, and from there she starts investigating, along with Child Protection Services and the local Police, into the whereabouts of Rose.
I felt sorry for the kids raised by such a narcissistic mother and a pretty much absent father. I was worried about how far Josephine had gone, or would go to keep her perfect family the way the wanted it to be. Zailckas does an impeccable job of maintaining the suspense and tying up the answers to all the raised questions. The characters are well-developed with many layers that were slowly revealed until the final conclusion. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a family dynamic that may disturb you on many levels, you may enjoy Mother, Mother. I certainly did.
The mother, Josephine, is a controlling freak and the father is seldom seen or heard - busy with business and drinking. But when Violet has a drug induced episode one evening at dinner, which she says she saw Rose in the hallway and her brother ends up hurt, is when the family starts spiraling even further out of control. Violet is put into a psych ward by her mother, and from there she starts investigating, along with Child Protection Services and the local Police, into the whereabouts of Rose.
I felt sorry for the kids raised by such a narcissistic mother and a pretty much absent father. I was worried about how far Josephine had gone, or would go to keep her perfect family the way the wanted it to be. Zailckas does an impeccable job of maintaining the suspense and tying up the answers to all the raised questions. The characters are well-developed with many layers that were slowly revealed until the final conclusion. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a family dynamic that may disturb you on many levels, you may enjoy Mother, Mother. I certainly did.
I haven't read too many psychologically thrillers, but I really should more often. Mother, Mother is a book that's impossible not to enjoy; with an unconventional perspective on what it means to be a doting mother, it at once left me greatly disturbed and deeply satisfied, which is an emotive pairing I never expected myself to feel.
First off, I should warn you all: this book is not for the faint-hearted. There isn't so much blood and guts here as there is a grotesquely screwed-up family... yes, it's that kind of scary. The false cheerinessthe cutting sarcasmthat floats in the atmosphere of the novel makes it all the more frightening; you can think of Josephine as a cross between the ultimate Stepford wife and Psycho's Norman Bates, which is a genius, but lethal combination.
The story begins in Woodstock, New York, in the wake of the oldest Hurst daughter, Rose's sudden departure, which Josephine swears is all part of Rose's grand plan to turn her perfect family into a perfect wreck... or at least expose its so-called "perfection" to the world. Violet, the younger Hurst flower, suffers from what at first appears to be middle child syndrome: not good enough to replace her sister yet not respected enough to trump her coddled, autistic brother, William. As detached as she is from everyone in her family, including, fortunately, her mother, she and her brother share a convoluted connection in that they're both trying to find Rose, or at least find out what really happened to her. Both children try to figure out the blurry night when everything changedwhen William was attacked, Violet institutionalized, and Rose, after a whole year of missing, reappearedbut the task proves more difficult than expected because only one person seems to have been in the right mind when everything happened: Josephine. The "real" events of that night slowly unravel to reveal Josephine's projectionist tendencies, her most horrifying defects, and the way she so obviously plagues each of her family members, but then again, when it comes to the Hursts, even real can't be trusted.
The two points-of-view of Violet and Will are fascinating to read together, especially because of how sharply they contrast; it's like reading two different books interlaced, which mimics the polarity in Josephine's menacing personality. Will's logical and uncomfortably candid narrative is highly influenced and tainted, while Violet's is fresh and intuitive, although very, very cloudy. Both narrators are so easy to sympathize with, and yet neither are completely reliable; knowing which frame of mind to favor, is all up to the reader.
With stunning characterization and a climax that confirms the worst of suspicions and shocks you to the core, Zailckas shows us the good, the bad, and the hideous of a family that's about to come crashing down under the weight of a calculated secret and a web of lies. Mother, Mother had my head spinning throughout; this is definitely the kind of intelligent read that will keep you in a constant frenzy.
Pros: Sharp, astute voice // Fascinating subject matter and interesting take on a suburbian nightmare // Fast-paced // Will and Violet are brilliantly developed // The climaxit's got to be one of the best I've seen in contemporary fiction
Cons: Multiple perspectives and flashbacks are confusing in the beginning
Verdict: The multiple faces of a desperate mother are painfully exposed as her misunderstood and determined daughter and misguided and idolatrous young son attempt to crack the case on the disappearance of their doll of an older sister, Rose. Mother, Mother is delectable in the sickest, most disorienting, and most unorthodox way; completely disturbing and completely original, this psychological thriller is an impressive debut. Zailckas's abrasive first novel, chronicled with a building sense of dreada lingering discomfortis a reluctant masterpiece; a darkly comical tale about the manipulative means a mother will go to in order to get her way.
Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via publicist, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Random House and TLC Book Tours!).
First off, I should warn you all: this book is not for the faint-hearted. There isn't so much blood and guts here as there is a grotesquely screwed-up family... yes, it's that kind of scary. The false cheerinessthe cutting sarcasmthat floats in the atmosphere of the novel makes it all the more frightening; you can think of Josephine as a cross between the ultimate Stepford wife and Psycho's Norman Bates, which is a genius, but lethal combination.
The story begins in Woodstock, New York, in the wake of the oldest Hurst daughter, Rose's sudden departure, which Josephine swears is all part of Rose's grand plan to turn her perfect family into a perfect wreck... or at least expose its so-called "perfection" to the world. Violet, the younger Hurst flower, suffers from what at first appears to be middle child syndrome: not good enough to replace her sister yet not respected enough to trump her coddled, autistic brother, William. As detached as she is from everyone in her family, including, fortunately, her mother, she and her brother share a convoluted connection in that they're both trying to find Rose, or at least find out what really happened to her. Both children try to figure out the blurry night when everything changedwhen William was attacked, Violet institutionalized, and Rose, after a whole year of missing, reappearedbut the task proves more difficult than expected because only one person seems to have been in the right mind when everything happened: Josephine. The "real" events of that night slowly unravel to reveal Josephine's projectionist tendencies, her most horrifying defects, and the way she so obviously plagues each of her family members, but then again, when it comes to the Hursts, even real can't be trusted.
The two points-of-view of Violet and Will are fascinating to read together, especially because of how sharply they contrast; it's like reading two different books interlaced, which mimics the polarity in Josephine's menacing personality. Will's logical and uncomfortably candid narrative is highly influenced and tainted, while Violet's is fresh and intuitive, although very, very cloudy. Both narrators are so easy to sympathize with, and yet neither are completely reliable; knowing which frame of mind to favor, is all up to the reader.
With stunning characterization and a climax that confirms the worst of suspicions and shocks you to the core, Zailckas shows us the good, the bad, and the hideous of a family that's about to come crashing down under the weight of a calculated secret and a web of lies. Mother, Mother had my head spinning throughout; this is definitely the kind of intelligent read that will keep you in a constant frenzy.
Pros: Sharp, astute voice // Fascinating subject matter and interesting take on a suburbian nightmare // Fast-paced // Will and Violet are brilliantly developed // The climaxit's got to be one of the best I've seen in contemporary fiction
Cons: Multiple perspectives and flashbacks are confusing in the beginning
Verdict: The multiple faces of a desperate mother are painfully exposed as her misunderstood and determined daughter and misguided and idolatrous young son attempt to crack the case on the disappearance of their doll of an older sister, Rose. Mother, Mother is delectable in the sickest, most disorienting, and most unorthodox way; completely disturbing and completely original, this psychological thriller is an impressive debut. Zailckas's abrasive first novel, chronicled with a building sense of dreada lingering discomfortis a reluctant masterpiece; a darkly comical tale about the manipulative means a mother will go to in order to get her way.
Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher, via publicist, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Random House and TLC Book Tours!).
