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…
⤖ My Review ⬻
I’m a bit torn about Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. There were things I loved as well as things that I didn’t like very much at all. I’m not sure if certain things were done on purpose or not, but I’m here to break it all down while also avoiding spoilers. This’ll be difficult…but, challenge accepted!
First, what I loved. Let’s start with the exterior—the cover for Motherthing is great in my opinion! Not only did it catch my eye because of the layout and use of colours, but it also pulled me in because it was made evident by the designer that the cover tells a story. It made me wonder about the plot, and made me want to pick the book up STAT. The other part I loved was Hogarth’s writing! Some of the wording, or even whole paragraphs either made me really think or helped me imagine the scene vividly.
Hogarth’s writing also unsettled me, which I’m not sure was the intent or not. She switches through a few different forms of storytelling too, which I found interesting while also feeling a little off-kilter. The horror components of Motherthing were definitely different from what I imagined, but not by a whole lot. And I’m not mad about it either because I like to be surprised and unable to guess things ahead of time.
Now, what I disliked were the characters. Not the way they were depicted or for any lack of dimension. I just didn’t like them as people. So while at times I felt sympathy for them, it was very rare and it makes me wonder if this affected my reading experience or how I was meant to experience the story. This might also have been done on purpose though! I really don’t know. But in either case, Hogarth is an author I plan to read again—whether it be upcoming books, or something from her backlist.
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Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
