GIVEAWAY & REVEW: Mother, Mother: A Novel by Koren Zailckas

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

In MOTHER, MOTHER we meet the Hursts: William, a twelve-year-old autistic boy, who wants nothing more than to please his parents but can’t seem to figure out how; Violet, a rebellious teenager whose experiments with hallucinogenic drugs have just landed her in a mental ward; Douglas, their father who spends too much time at the office and the remaining hours with a bottle of scotch; and Josephine, whose subtle manipulations are slowly but steadily driving her family to the brink of disaster. And key to uncovering Josephine’s motives is Rose, the daughter who got away, but whose presence is still keenly felt, and whose fate is mysteriously unknown.

While authors get their inspiration from many places, Koren didn’t need to look further than her own childhood when she decided to tackle the topic of a dysfunctional family. Growing up, several members of her family showed traits and characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, including her own mother. She decided to write MOTHER, MOTHER in part to challenge the assumption that all mothers are compassionate and kind. Deeply personal, Koren’s first foray into fiction showcases her brilliant, firecracker prose, a page-turning plot, and an unmistakable voice.

Full of wise and witty observations, and a mounting sense of dread, MOTHER, MOTHER is an astonishing debut.

my thoughts:

WTF did I just read!?! OMG! I am still recovering from it.  Mother, Mother is CRAZY-TWISTED!! I'm serious!  This book is like Joan Crawford from Mommy Dearest amped up to the nth degree. Its true.  I mean, this is a book about a mother who continually mind-fucks all of her children to such drastic and horrific degrees.  She makes one daughter get an abortion, she puts another away in a psych ward, and she has her autistic son believing lies to be truth.  And all her husband does is look the other way and drown himself in alcohol.  Talk about the perfect family.

Mother, Mother is a disturbing psychological thriller about the Hurst family.  We learn all about this dysfunctional family via William and Violet.  Each chapter alternates between these two siblings as they struggle to piece together what exactly happened the night that Violet supposedly attacked William.  Both narrators are completely unreliable, making for quite an intriguing read.  You can't help but wonder what parts are truth and what parts are complete fabrication.  Violet is a user of heavy hallucinogenics, so her mind is a bit cloudy; and William's memories are completely influenced and blinded by the love he has for his mom.  As the story continues to unfold, you can't help but begin to see just how far the matriarch of this family is willing to go to achieve her misconception of what a "happy family" entails.  It is truly terrifying and heartbreaking.

Now, I'm not going to write anything else about this novel, because it is definitely the kind that needs to be read.  I mean it.  This story is just so unbelievable, that you need to read it for yourself to really grasp what I mean when I describe the mom as 'crazy' (because, she is beyond crazy!).  So, yes, I urge you to pick up a copy of Koren Zailckas' debut novel Mother, Mother and read it ASAP!  You will be so glad you did.

To find out what everyone else is thinking about this amazing new book, check out the TLC Book Tour Page for: Mother, Mother

GIVEAWAY:  Thanks to the publisher, I am allowed to give away one copy of this terrific book.  All you have to do is leave me a comment - don't forget to include your email address!  US/Canada residents only (no PO boxes).  Last day to enter is October 14th.  Good luck!!

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!