Utterly explosive and heartbreaking, this is a very disturbing domestic drama about the other side of motherhood.
Blythe Connor and her husband, Fox, are very much in love and happy with their life and marriage. Until the baby comes. Violet is nothing like what Blythe thought her little baby girl would be, and since she didn't have any kind of relationship with her own mother, Blythe is at a loss. There is something not quite right about the way that Violet behaves and Fox just brushes off her concerns. In fact, Violet adores Fox and the feeling is mutual; soon Blythe is left on the sidelines always fearful and always concerned. Perhaps everyone is right and Blythe just doesn't have that mother instinct even though she tries so hard. And then their son, Sam, is born. Things are so wonderful and different this time around and Blythe is determined to do everything she can to protect her family unit and forge those important, loving bonds. Until the accident when everything blows up. NO SPOILERS.
I dare you to put this down once you start. The narrative is so compelling and the character of Blythe so complex that your emotions will be on a twisty roller coaster ride from beginning to end. So much to think about and analyze between the pages. I ended up having such mixed feelings about all the characters but definitely ended knowing where my ultimate pity and sympathy lay. This debut novel contains psychological content that begs to be discussed with others. There are so many triggers within that many may find too scary to examine. What makes a good mother? Is there really such a thing as a "bad seed" and what are the ramifications of growing up unloved or unwanted? Even at the very last sentence, I was wondering how it all could have been prevented, turned out differently. I'm giving this one 4.5 stars for the excellent writing, the chilling story, and the way in which it totally held my interest as I held my breath in fear of what was coming.
Thank you to the publisher, Pamela Dorman Books, for this e-book ARC to read, review, and highly recommend. I will be thinking about this for a very long time.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - psychological and domestic drama
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