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Mother, Mother: A Novel
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Mother, Mother: A Novel
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Mother, Mother: A Novel
Audiobook12 hours

Mother, Mother: A Novel

Written by Koren Zailckas

Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

From Koren Zailckas, author of the iconic memoir Smashed: an electrifying debut novel about a family being torn apart by the woman who claims to love them most

Josephine Hurst has her family under control. With two beautiful daughters, a brilliantly intelligent son, a tech-guru of a husband and a historical landmark home, her life is picture perfect. She has everything she wants; all she has to do is keep it that way. But living in this matriarch's determinedly cheerful, yet subtly controlling domain hasn't been easy for her family, and when her oldest daughter, Rose, runs off with a mysterious boyfriend, Josephine tightens her grip, gradually turning her flawless home into a darker sort of prison.

Resentful of her sister's newfound freedom, Violet turns to eastern philosophy, hallucinogenic drugs, and extreme fasting, eventually landing herself in the psych ward. Meanwhile, her brother Will shrinks further into a world of self-doubt. Recently diagnosed with Aspergers and epilepsy, he's separated from the other kids around town and is homeschooled to ensure his safety. Their father, Douglas, finds resolve in the bottom of the bottle-an addict craving his own chance to escape. Josephine struggles to maintain the family's impeccable façade, but when a violent incident leads to a visit from child protective services, the truth about the Hursts might finally be revealed.

Written with the style, dark wit and shrewd psychological insight that made Smashed a bestseller, Zailckas's first novel is unforgettable. In the spirit of classic suspense novels by Shirley Jackson and Daphne DuMaurier, Mother, Mother is the terrifying story of a mother's love gone too far, and the introduction of a commanding new voice in fiction.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 17, 2013
ISBN9780804149235
Unavailable
Mother, Mother: A Novel
Author

Koren Zailckas

Koren Zailckas is an internationally bestselling writer, and has contributed to the Guardian, U.S. News & World Report, Glamour, Jane and Seventeen magazine. She currently lives with her family in the Catskills mountains of New York.

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Reviews for Mother, Mother

Rating: 3.981134716981132 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was sooooo excited to win this book from LibraryThing! Mother, Mother is Koren Zailckas’s fiction debut, and it did not disappoint. Do you think her name sounds familiar? If so, it is because you might know her from her nonfiction titles. While I was not in love with her memoir Smashed, I was totally obsessed with Mother, Mother. Mother, Mother is told from the perspectives of Violet Hurst and William Hurst, two of the three Hurst siblings. Their mother, Josephine Hurst, is someone you can tell is manipulative. Where’s Dad in all this? Wasted.Turns out, Rose is another Hurst sibling who ran away a little while before. But after Violet has a bad drug trip, she quickly realizes that something is up. For the full review, visit Love at First Book
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When I first picked this book up, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it. In one explosive night, a family ends up with one kids in a nuthouse and another in the hospital to repair the damage the sister did. Or is that what happened? I thought I wouldn't finish it, because I really didn't like Josephine, the mother of the family. She was just vile. And then I realized that was the point. I think this portrayed narcissism expertly. While they aren't all this dangerous, they are so hard to deal with. Good read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    i loved this story, very satisfying ending. i recommend it
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The author has an uncanny talent for truly capturing the psyche of a narcissist. I honestly wondered at one point if she knew the mother of my stepchildren - she has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and some of the manipulations were eerily familiar. Also the character of Will and his rationalizations that allow him to continue idolizing his mother while observing her selfishness and lies are much too accurate. A wonderful story that really shines the light on the Narcissistic family unit. A few things were too predictable and the climax was a bit fantastical compared to how realistic the rest of the book was but overall a great read/listen! If Josephine doesn’t remind you of someone you know, count yourself very lucky.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really didn't want to like this book, but it kept building in suspense and terror until I was hooked.

    A psychological drama that will leave you mesmerized, although I felt deflated by the last chapter (hence, the four not five stars).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I never read Koren Zailckas' first book "Smashed", but after reading "Mother, Mother" I will. "Mother, Mother" is a wonderfully written novel, that does a great job keeping the underlying tension ratcheted up throughout. Most times I read a blurb that tells me how this writer is carrying on the mantle of another great writer, I am skeptical. When the comparison is to a writer I am a huge fan of, in this case Shirley Jackson, I am incensed. But in this case the comparison is actually valid. Jackson's great gift was finding the darkness in the ordinary. She could describe eating breakfast in such a way that you got chills. Zailckas, while not in Jackson's class yet, does just that quite admirably. The chronicling of this families downward spiral shows that Zailckas has a great future in fiction. Now I need to go back and read her non fiction as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book from the Library Things Early Reviewer program. I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by this family drama that starts off seemingly benign, and descends into a dark, creepy place full of dysfunction and betrayal.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I gave Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas 4 stars. It kept my interest and turned out differently than I had thought. Josephine, the mother was downright creepy. I intensely disliked the son Will, but that was probably the authors intent. Unfortunately there are really mothers out there like that, and like the book, some kids survive it and others don't. I will be looking for more by this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a fascinating read. It is about losing control and finding out who those around you really are- one secret at a time. It is a difficult read because it strikes a cord as being so real, but that is also what makes it tough to put down. It is a thrill-ride into the depths of deception and family secrets, as well as weaknesses and finding a way out of the darkness. I highly recommend this as a different kind of read this summer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is about a family that puts the "dys" in dysfunctional. It is told from the alternating points of view between Violet, the drug using teenage daughter and her younger autistic brother, William. Their older sister, Rose, is presumed to be a run-away. Time has passed and they are getting on with their flawed lives. Pivotal in this drama is their mother who appears to be a master manipulator. I enjoyed this novel very much.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book starts out like a "normal" dysfunctional family, but every chapter leads you deeper and deeper into disturbing pathology. I really liked how the book switched who's voice and mind you got to experience. It really brought home the divergent paths of repeating cycles of behavior vs breaking out of cycles of behavior generationally. It was psychologically fascinating - provided interesting insight. Recommend!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Koren Zailckas has written a book that is sometimes difficult to read, but it's fascinating from beginning to end. The reason it can be difficult to read is because of how horrific the Mother of this title is. She can be described as manipulative, deceitful, malicious... even evil, but those words still do not capture the irreparable harm she causes to those she professes to love most. She has stolen her children's lives from them by causing each of the three of them unimaginable stress, self-doubt, and a distrust for each other that has no basis in fact. Zailckas tells the story of the Hurst family in chapters alternating between the middle child, Violet, and the youngest child, William. The Mother, Josephine is a strong, overpowering influence in her children's lives, and it is through Josephine that the reader gains perspective about each of the three children. It is obvious from the start that the oldest child, Rose, no longer lives with the Hurst family. The assumption is that Rose ran away from home to live with her boyfriend, and she wants no further communication with her family. She leaves behind her brother William, who Josephine says is autistic as well as an epileptic, and Viola, who is difficult and unmanageable. No one questions Josephine's assessment of her children's behavior; however, after a while it becomes obvious that Violet is not content to allow her Mother to define her in such negative ways. Josephine handles that by admitting Violet to a mental health facility, and her intent is to keep Violet there as long as possible.As the story progresses, doubts are raised about Josephine's maternal abilities. Eventually, Douglas, the father of the Hurst family, begins to become more active in his children's lives, and he becomes aware that something is terribly wrong with what he has come to believe about his whole family. It then becomes a matter of whether Douglas can have any influence over what happens to his family next, or is his involvement too little, too late. The tension builds as Josephine begins to lose control of the family. She is more than capable of taking drastic action to maintain her role as head of the family; the question becomes how far is she willing to go and who is she willing to destroy to keep up the facade of family life she's owned up to that point. I was not prepared for the answers to those questions, even though I thought nothing at the end would surprise me. I was raised by a woman just like Josephine. I know the thought process that goes on behind that cunning front the outside world gets to see while the real evil goes on behind the mask of an monster posing as a caring Mother. There cannot be a happy ending to a story like this one. Instead there is more of a sense of relief that with the support and help of caring individuals who understand that such sociopathic people do exist in this world, people who live under the reign of terror of such evil individuals do have a chance to survive and live far better lives. I rated this book with 5Stars. It was so well written I would highly recommend it to adult readers of all ages.I received my copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for which I agreed to do a review and post it at my reading sites.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mother, Mother is a fascinating book. Once you start reading it will be close to impossible to put it down. The characters are so well developed. It is a nonstop physiological thriller. Here is a taste of a small bit of a huge hit.

    The book is about a dysfunctional family the Hursts. The mother Josephine is a ball of crazy while the father Douglas is an alcoholic. The three children Rose, Violet and Will all have their own set of problems. Josephine wants her and her family to appear impeccable to the rest of the world at any cost. Rose is the eldest daughter who is Josephines ballerina doll that will be a star one day no matter what. Is that what Rose wants to do with her life? Violet is the middle daughter who has taken to a religion called "Jainist", shaved her head and is starving herself. Violet is a huge embarrassment to the family. Why would Violet act that way? Is she crazed too? The youngest child Will who has been diagnosed with Asperger's and has seizures. Will will do anything for his mother to make her see how smart and perfect he is to obtain her love. Will made my skin crawl.

    Mother, Mother, is full of twist, turns and surprises. You might think you know what is going to happen next but you will be dead wrong. Is the whole family crazy? That would be for you to read and see.

    "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A perfect family is very rarely as it seems, and the Hursts are no exception. Told in alternating voices of 16-year-old Violet and 11-year-old Will, the story slowly unfolds much like peeling layers off a rose. Big pieces with a sweet fragrance, until you get to the ugly core.

    Violet and Will's voices are very different. Will is eager to please his mother, and sees the best in her. One of my favorite paragraphs describes Violet's perspective:

    "Violet developed an almost pathological need to point out whatever the rest of the Hursts wanted to sweep under the rug and parade it around like a skull on a stick." p 26

    She knows something is wrong, but because of her youth and immaturity, has trouble not only expressing it, but being taken seriously by others; especially when her mother's voice is the other one in the equation.

    Masterful at manipulation, backhanded compliments and insinuations, Josephine is the perpetual victim. Zailckas writes this character to perfection. Unfortunately, she has first-hand experience from her own childhood, as told in the notes at the back of the book. Jo is cunning, understated in public and over-the-top in private. She is truly a character that you will love to hate.

    I was cheering for Violet the entire time I wondered what became of Rose. An absent character in her own right, the revelation at the end of the book of how Rose finally did escape her mother's clutches was somewhat predictable, but that didn't take away from the impact. The highlight of the story for me was the end, where the light at the end of the tunnel turns out to be a freight train, headed right for me.

    A very satisfying read and highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was a stunning story of how you never upset your mother but all in all loved this book not even half way throw the story and I wanted to really slap the mother repeatedly the end on the other hand could have been better but this didn't hamper the story in any way so saying that I would recommend to all my friends and I would like to thank the author for bring this book to fruition and I will be looking out for more of her works with that all said keep smiling and happy reading with love from wee me.xxxxxxxxxx
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kind of disturbing to imagine that such a "mother" could exist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh say, can you see, a more dysfunctional family? I doubt it. This was a slow-building trip on a madly twisting road of anger, violence, and some bizarre family dynamics. It was very entertaining, a little unsettling, and I loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Talk about a psychological thriller! Koren Zailckas does not disappoint with this book. I have never heard of this author before receiving this book from Blogging for Books. The idea of a very controlling mother, to the point of craziness is a topic that has always intrigued me. As a mother, I truly understand the desire of wanting your family to appear "perfect" to others. Of course, I am not like Josephine, as I have learned that being imperfect is the fun of being a parent.

    This story is told through two different points of view - Violet's and Will's. Violet is a typical teen who is trying to find her way, but realizing that she can never be what her mother wants her to be. To counteract this, Violet seems to go to extremes in avoiding the mess her life actually is. She lands in a psych ward and through friendships that she forms there, Violet begins to understand herself, her family, and even why her mother is the way that she is. The unfortunate part is that, Josephine can never truly be understood.
    Will is Josephine's last child - her baby. He still lives at home and is only twelve. His story is told through his eyes, and they do not always understand what he is seeing or hearing. Will does not seem to understand how the world works, how people function, and how to be "normal". He does what his mother tells him to do, wears what she picks out for him, and he even lets her brush and floss his teeth. Needless to say, Will and his mother seem to have a very bizarre relationship. This is a major playing point throughout the story.

    After a strange, crazy, horrible event that lands Violet in the psych ward and Will trying to understand things, the story does not slow down. Both characters draw you in to their side of the story and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what happens next. This is a book that I could not put down. The craziness, emotional, psychological ride that Zailckas takes the read through is unbelievable. Out of 5 stars, I give it 4.5, and that is only because the ending seemed quickly done and when I was done with the book, I found myself still wanting more. An excellent read for ages 14 and up.

    I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wow! I am so glad I finally got around to taking this off my tbr pile and reading. Mother, Mother is a twisted tale that will suck you in, chew you up, and spit you back out. The concept of a horrible mother is one that most likely shocks - not so much for me. My line of work involves dealing with the fallout from lots of sociopathic and narcissistic parents. Even still, I was on the edge of my seat and did gasp in horror at Josephine. She's a horrible human being and watching her unfold on the pages from the dual perspectives of her children was intense. This book is phenomenal- the trauma induced within is so real it's scary. I almost feel like I've suffered secondary trauma as a result! (No, I haven't really, but damn does it feel a bit like it. Maybe emotional fatigue is a better descriptor. Look them up, you'll see what I mean.)
    Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I say it is a highly recommended book and will suggest that fans of psychological thrillers and psychology in general should definitely read this. Oh, and anyone with mommy issues or Psycho fans.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A book that keeps you reading in the way that you can't help but look at a fatal accident...this is the story of what the underbelly of a dysfunctional family looks like. It is hard to say that I enjoyed it exactly, but it definitely is a book I will not forget.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This had me glued to my chair until I finished. Zailckas has written a thriller with all the elements of suspense you look for but also a lot of depth within the family dynamics. Pieces of the plot are somewhat predictable, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride. Told in alternating chapters by two of the Hurst children, Zailckas slowly unfolds a frightening tale of a mentally ill mother who will go to extreme lengths to keep up appearances.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Zailckas has crafted a very original work that will stick in readers' minds -- at least my mind, certainly -- for a lot longer than most novels. Reading this book makes me eager to get another taste of her authorial voice by picking up her bestseller Smashed

    One of the greatest strengths of Mother, Mother is its structure as a tale told through two characters' perspectives. The two perspectives are those of the children of the titular mother, Josephine -- namely, William and Violet Hurst. It is the idiosyncratic, yet deeply human voices of William and Violet that make this novel so touching and compelling -- and often downright masterful.

    Needless to say, the two young people do not view their unique familial situation in the same light, so this opens up many new layers for the reader to consider than if the tale were told through the use of a third-person omniscient narrator.

    Another feature of this novel I admire is Zailckas's use of all sorts of absurd, informal language to describe serious matters. Sometimes nothing less than the absurd is sufficiently descriptive, and it's a great way to give the reader the flavor of the psychological perspective -- whether William's or Violet's -- currently being employed.

    This book is a lot more than a tale of disturbing familial dysfunction -- it's a truly great multi-faceted psychological novel.

    Please be advised I won an Advance Reader's Edition of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really wanted to like this, but I feel like it was a little too on-the-nose for me. I had figured out almost everything that had happened by a quarter of the way in. Worse (because a mystery is one thing but poor characters are something else), I just couldn't believe in Violet. She was too self-possessed all the way through; I didn't feel like she had a chance to grow. Or rather, all her growth happened in the first ten pages, and from there on out she was just proving to everyone else that she was a real person. Will, on the other hand, was very well done - although he did read a little older than twelve to me.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mother, MotherByKoren ZailckasMy "in a nutshell" summary...Josephine loves her three children...Rose, Violet, and Will...or does she?My thoughts after reading this book...Most of this story takes place in a small town...a suburb...not far from NYC. The Hursts are seemingly a normal family. However, their oldest daughter Rose has run away, middle daughter Violet is in a psych ward after an attack on her younger brother, and that brother, Will, is a pet of his mother. He has diagnoses of Asburger's, epilepsy, and more.It seemed as though most of the story was told from Violet's and Will's views. Douglas, their father, is a recovering alcoholic who doesn't seem to have a grip on what is happening to his family but as he gains sobriety he becomes more involved. Violet is desperate to reach Rose so that she can live with her. Will is just eager to keep his mother's attention on him. Violet...just 16...has shaved her head, practiced weird religions and become a vegetarian...all attempts to act out against her mother. Rose...purported to be Josephine's favorite...also ran afoul of Josephine's good will by getting pregnant, having an abortion and changing her major. Will...does anything his mother says for fear of her punishments. His illnesses are not actually real ones. Either way...he is homeschooled and dressed and educated by Josephine. She sets out his clothes every day and even flosses his teeth...creepy stuff. Any time he disappoints her she withholds her approval.It seems as though there are conflicting accounts about the night Violet supposedly stabs Will. As Violet gets stronger and talks to more people...Josephine's hold on her family starts to falter. CPS gets involved and Josephine needs more and more lies from Will to keep her world in control. What I loved about this book...Violet was my favorite character. She worked her way out of all of the lies and into the awful truth. It almost led to a horrible outcome for her.What I did not love about this book...Josephine! What a sick weird creepy mother! What a grand movie this would make! I would cast Miley Cyrus as Violet, Cameron Diaz as Josephine, not sure about Will but the doctor from Twilight for Douglas...and there are other great characters, too. The social worker...Nick from Child Services...Violet's friends...Imogene and Finch...and Rose.Final thoughts... I didn't appreciate this book when I first started it but it just hooked me after a while. I love the way this author writes. I hung onto every word. Josephine scared me constantly...I never knew what terrible thing she would do next...she was the master of psychological abuse.I still think Cameron Diaz would be perfect as Josephine...remember her in Bad Teacher?Lol...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Zailckas has penned a psychologically tense, riveting novel in Mother, Mother. The Hurst family is what has become a typically dysfunctional American family. An unhappy marriage, possibly adulterous father, controlling mother, and three siblings of varying dysfunction. Mental institutions, drug abuse, domestic violence all contributes to what I eventually came to call a mystery of sorts - a mystery because not all is what it seems. Told in alternating points of view between two of the siblings, we are left with tantalizing clues as we try to see past the obvious and discover what is really going on here. Not without flaws, but good enough to keep me enthralled while reading! Recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Koren Zailckas? Yes, you may recognize the name - Zailckas penned the New York Times best selling memoir Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood. Zailckas turns her hand to fiction with her debut novel Mother, Mother. Oh man, where to start..... Josephine Hurst likes things her way - perfect. Her perfect. And she lovingly imposes her will on her family - husband Douglas, daughter Violet and son Will. Her other daughter Rose has run away from home. Zailckas lets us know right from the first pages that Josephine isn't like other mothers, as much as she tries to portrays that image. "Thou shalt feign perfection and thou shalt not air the family laundry. "The whole family lives in a state of permanent watchfulness....just waiting....Douglas chooses to self medicate with alcohol and leaves his children to fend for themselves. Violet has chosen drugs. Rose escaped. And William has been diagnosed as epileptic and autistic. (But it took Josie a bit to find a doctor who agreed with her diagnosis) Mother, Mother is told from two viewpoints - that of Violet and William. Both narratives are wildly different - Violet know her life isn't normal and wants to escape like Rose, while William is determined to defend his mother. The same events are seen through different sets of eyes. But as a reader, both accounts only serve to underscore how twisted, manipulative and insidious Josephine is. And I mean really, really terrifying.... There is no gray territory, no sitting on the fence, no reserving judgement in Zailckas's novel. You'll be rooting for Violet, hoping she can find the strength she needs, wanting to reach into the pages and shake Douglas and wake him up to wake him up to what is happening around him. William needs to be deprogrammed as quickly as possible. Where is Rose? And Josephine...what's frightening is that there are people like this in the world. "Her mother's eyes had held Violet with a looks-could-kill glare. It was a face that carried a vindictive warning. A face that told Violet, Just you wait..." Mother, Mother is a thriller in the highest sense - we know there's a monster in the closet, even if others don't see it. The question is - what happens when the lights go off? You won't be turning the lights off until you're done this book - I raced through most of it one late night and got up early to see it through to the end. Many books have been touted as appealing to fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Few, if any, have lived up to that recommendation. Mother, Mother does. Think Mommie Dearest meets Psycho meets Girl Interrupted. . Whatever Zailckas writes next - I'm reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas is an extremely well written work of psychological suspense.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Different and uncomfortable. You will read this knowing there is something not quite right, but you can't turn away. Oh, and that perfect mother next door? About her......
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I read books like this, I think: who needs zombies or ghosts or paranormal scary things? Real life is scary enough. Mother, Mother is easily one of the most terrifying books I've ever read, and all it took was one dominating, abusive mother to do it.

    This is a story of a family which looks perfect on the outside, but on the inside, they're all barely hanging on. We see events unfold through the alternating perspectives of Violet and Will, and with each chapter, we start to learn more devastating secrets that the Hurst family has been trying to hide. I don't want to talk too much about the plot, because I think it's most breathtaking whenever you don't know what's coming next. Bit by bit, you start to see past the perfect family facade that Josephine clings to, right up until the very end. At the very beginning, you start to get glimpses of the fact that Josephine isn't as perfect as she wants people to think she is, but it doesn't take very long for the real monster to reveal itself.

    This is Zalickas' first novel (her previous two books are both non-fiction memoirs) and now I'm really interested in seeing what she comes up with next. She writes with a very authentic voice here, and really captures the slow, psychological horror that emotional abuse is. Like I mentioned, Josephine is horrific, terrifying, a nightmare, even more pointedly so because she can fly so easily under the radar. She is a master manipulator and the way she has trapped everyone around her is absolutely believable.

    Violet and Will both have very distinct narrative voices, with Violet pulling away from the family and Will becoming even further entrenched, thanks to Josephine's manipulation. You can't help but feel for these kids and hope that they will get the help they need to make peace with their upbringing. The glimpses of the future that we do get in the story are unsurprising, given what we learn about each of the characters, but -- and I don't think this is a spoiler, really, in a book filled with real monsters -- if you're looking for happily ever after, you're not going to find it. Everyone Josephine touches is changed and damaged, and that's not an easy fix.

    I read most of this book in one sitting, and stayed up a few hours past my bed time in order to finish it. The last 20% of the book is like a train that you can't stop as everything careens towards a crash ending. I wasn't totally sold on part of the ending -- there were some aspects that seemed a little too lucky, and then the final chapters were a bit much in the "here's what happened since" department -- but I definitely couldn't put this book down.

    And for anyone who has ever said "but you have to love your family!" or who has wondered why people choose to distance themselves from their birth families, I recommend you give this book a whirl. Not every dysfunctional family upbringing is this extreme, but sometimes you need an extreme example to understand why people turn their backs on blood relatives.

    Some of the themes of this book include severe emotional abuse, abortion, suicide, and drug/alcohol use, and there are a lot of scenes that could be triggering to readers, so be aware.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After reading another book about secrets last week, I was just talking about how most of us put on a public persona so we are more likable to others, keeping our true thoughts to ourselves. In Mother, Mother, that’s putting it mildly. In fact, Mother, aka Josephine Hurst, is so despicable, she makes Joan Crawford look like Mother of the Year. She insists that the outside world think her family is picture perfect, that they’re living storybook lives, and no family member must ever besmirch that image, even though entirely false. Douglas, the father, is beaten down by Josie and is an alcoholic. Rose, the eldest child, lived her years at home being the faithful obedient-servant daughter – until she felt like an employee and rebelled with a surprise pregnancy, and an even bigger surprise exit from the family unit. Violet the 16 year old has turned to hallucinogens and suicide-by-starvation, but somehow manages to seem like the only levelheaded one in the bunch. And 12 year old Will has epilepsy along with what Josephine has “internet-diagnosed” as Asperger’s and so has started to home school him, making him stuck with the monster day in and day out, with the damage only starting to surface.Clearly, some people should never have children. Others should be locked up for life, and I don’t mean for crimes committed, I mean simply “committed.” For Josephine Hurst, both statements would apply. I highly recommend this, for its very contemporary feel and for the bits of witticism that still manage to come out of the evil and darkness so well portrayed here. Would have been 5 stars but the grip it had on me started to fall short a little toward the end. Thanks to librarything.com for the advanced copy!