Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Read: February 2021
Expected publication: William Morrow 6 April 2021 / Bloomsbury Publishing 13 May 2021
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description:
Growing up poor in rural Georgia,
Bree Cabbat was warned by her single mother that the world was a dark and scary
place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her
right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree
now has all a woman could ever dream of: a loving lawyer husband, two talented
teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in
the world. Until the day her baby is taken and Bree’s world falls apart. How
far will she go to save her child?
What attracted me to this book:
I really loved Joshilyn Jackson’s
previous novel NEVER HAVE I EVER, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m happy
to report that I was not disappointed!
My musings:
As with NEVER HAVE I EVER, the
strength of the story lay in its characters. Similarly to Amy, main protagonist
of the author’s previous book, Bree Cabbat seems to be an ordinary
cookie-baking and playdate-organising housewife and mother of three. Having
married a wealthy husband, she almost came across as a bit sheltered and
pampered, but that initial judgement proved to be wrong once her inner
mumma-bear was called into action as she is facing a mother’s worst nightmare:
her baby son’s abduction during her daughter’s dance rehearsal. What follows is
a suspenseful tale of obsession, revenge and the length we will go to to
protect our family. As with most mysteries, it is best if you go into this one
blindly, so I won’t be giving much away in regards to the plot, other than the
advice not to be fooled by its initial sedate pacing. As the tension mounted
and Bree must confront all her inner demons, the story marched mercilessly
towards its explosive finale.
Ultimately, all characters managed
to surprise me, which doesn’t happen very often. Especially Bree, the seemingly
privileged housewife, whose own past turned out to be far from sheltered and
who soon proved that she could be fierce and fearless when the situation
warranted it. MOTHER MAY I is one of those stories where you are being
challenged to examine your own inner demons and preconceptions and ask
yourself: what would I do in Bree’s situation? How would I react? What should
she have done? As Bree goes had on head with her son’s abductor, we also get to
know her a bit better, and I really warmed to her. Furthermore, kudos to any
author who can make her readers feel empathy for the villains in her story! As
the ugly truth was revealed, there were plenty of surprises in store, and no
one was quite as black-and-white as they seemed in the beginning.
I love nothing better than a mystery
that can surprise me, and MOTHER MAY I did just that. There were many themes
that prompted reflection, especially regarding privilege and power and how an
event that some may write off as a small misdemeanour has the power to destroy
someone else’s life. And whilst some aspects of the ending didn’t totally gel
with me, there was also one very decent twist that had me staring open-mouthed
at the pages, not quite believing what I had just read.
Summary:
If you love a good character driven
mystery that features family secrets, obsession, revenge and a race against the
clock to save your child, then this book is definitely for you. I admit that I
was a bit dubious as to whether another story about child abduction would be
able to wow, but the author soon moved away from the well trodden paths and
carved out her own tracks that made for a cracking good read. I love thrillers
that also tackle darker themes that prompt reflection and challenge my own
preconceptions, whilst also being utterly addictive and entertaining. I can’t
wait to read more from this author in future!
Thank
you to the publishers for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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