BOOK REVIEW: The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth @sallyhepworth @stmartinspress #bookreview #themotherinlaw

As gripping as it is haunting, there’s a poetry to the story told in The Mother-in Law that is so captivating and suspenseful, you will think about it for days after reading it.

Over 24-hours after finishing Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-In-Law, there are still so many nuances I’m left turning over in my mind and unpacking. This is a thought-provoking novel of domestic suspense. I hate to compare it to other authors, though there are a few I see, because Hepworth to me has a truly unique voice and a story that needs to be told.

About the Book

A twisty, compelling novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in murder…

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.

The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.

Who could possibly want Diana dead?

Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

With Lucy’s secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn, this new novel from Sally Hepworth is sure to add to her growing legion of fans.

Reflection

This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and I know from discussing with some of the book besties that she is traditionally a women’s fiction writer, who has in recent books delved into mystery and thrillers. Hearing that background really helped me to contextualize this book. Because it is domestic suspense, but it also is women’s fiction, in my opinion. That is a huge compliment!

The voices of Lucy and Diana are so distinct and equally compelling. I related to Lucy, trying to connect with someone that felt hard to reach. But then we also heard from Diana, and we get to see why Diana did responded the way she did. What was her intent versus how it came across. And let’s not pretend that Diana communicates her intentions well! She certainly doesn’t. At the same time, it was easier to understand that tendency the more that we learned about Diana’s past.

As I mentioned, this is a very thought-provoking book. I’ve been reflecting on lots of parts to the story, and some particularly stunning words that we get from Diana (when you read it, you’ll know the ones I mean, but I can’t spoil it of course!). There are some many compelling stories in this book that come together. I loved some of Hepworth’s ideas about why mothers- and daughters-in-law sometimes clash, but also what they can uniquely offer one another.

What this book made me think about the most are the things we don’t say, and how often those are the things that have the biggest impact of all.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Book Besties

I read this with the other Book Besties earlier this year and we all loved it! Be sure to check out their pages:

Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
Holly at Dressed to Read
Jennifer at Tarheel Reader