Motherthing
2022 • 236 pages
Ratings19
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings19
Average rating3.8
A darkly funny take on mothers and daughters, about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law "Ainslie Hogarth's new novel is a stunner. Like Mona Awad's Bunny or Otessa Moshfegh's Eileen, Motherthing is a fabulous, frightening story built from fine, fine prose."—Laird Hunt, author of Zorrie When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn’t interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life with her is hellish. When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura's hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king… A VINTAGE BOOKS ORIGINAL
Reviews with the most likes.
Ainslie wrote so wonderfully, I was sucked into the story right from the beginning. Abby, and even Ralph, were written so well! I was incredibly invested in how the story was going to play out and I absolutely loved experiencing and being in Abby's head during her slow descent into madness.
That ending. Phew.
I have to say I was really looking forward to reading this and felt super excited when I got the ARC from NETGALLEY.
The description basically telling me that a young wife is now haunted by the ghost of her mother in law. That premise sounds amazing and was why I requested the book.
In theory that's what this book is about, in execution it's actually trying to say a lot about grief, motherhood and depression. Our protagonist Abby and her husband Ralph are reeling from Ralph's mothers death and Ralph is slipping deep into a depression and is adamant that the ghost of his mother is haunting their basement.
Abby must do anything she can to bring Ralph out of it and she goes to some extreme measures for sure. I wouldn't classify this book as horror at all (except maybe one scene). This is more of a psychological meditation about the effects of grief on a marriage. It's also about the meaning of motherhood and what it means to be there for someone.
The writing is great and I'm glad this book exists. I'm giving it 3 stars because it wasn't exactly what I expected or wanted and that was disappointing. While I enjoyed the writing there are definitely parts that felt like a slog to get through for sure.
If you want a more literary take on the horror genre this might be for you.
What it's like:
Mother meets Hand that Rocks the Cradle
Men meets Ghost
Book Grades:
Plot Development and Pacing - 90/100
Character Development - 90/100
Theme and Subject Matter - 90/100
Writing Style - 90/100
Reader Engagement - 75/100
Overal Grade: 87% - B OR 3/5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Grabbed this during a 2-for-1 sale for Spooky Season, coincidentally didn't realize that I also had NetGalley waiting on a review (sorry)! It's a little different as a domestic horror, but I enjoyed. The narration is well done, and the character's voice comes to life.
First and foremost, this is kind of a dark comedy. Or at the very least, the artistic voice comes across as funny. A lot of the analogies and metaphors are witty, and something I have never quite achieved in my own writing.
In a way, I would liken this to a fictional “I'm Glad My Mom Died” as it shows a lot of the darker sides of motherhood: abuse, obsession, and dysfunction. It also goes into depression and delusion in a very atmospheric way.
Unfortunately the end did lose me for a bit, which is when it was supposed to be building to climax, but it did end with quite the surprise. Personally a 3/5*, a fun one.
And I absolutely love the cover!
