Little Disasters
Fiction
Atria
August 18, 2020
Advanced reader copy
432
Free from publisher
A new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.
You think you know her…but look a little closer.
She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.
Then one moment changes everything.
Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.
My review:
This author is another one of the myriad out there who have switched into writing more thrillers than drama. While both of her thrillers have been very good, I can't help but compare them to the first book of hers that I read, The Art of Baking Blind, which I gave 5 stars to.
So onto this book......an interesting take on the not so bright side of motherhood. Anyone who is a mother can likely relate to those times when your child just won't stop crying, or is a handful in many other ways. How that is handled is at the root of this story. Liz is a pediatrician who is called to the ER when her friend Jess' baby is brought in. Upon discovering that the child has a fractured skull, Liz has no other choice than to call in social services, even though she knows Jess is the perfect mother to her three children. The book progresses from there, with everyone questioning not only the mothering skills of Jess, but their own, and even those of their own mothers. It's a really well constructed story, bringing up topics like post partum depression, anxiety, friendship, mental illness, forgiveness, and guilt. Of course there are secrets that come out as the novel progresses, and revelations about many of the mothers. This was a solid four star read for me until something is revealed at the very end, which annoyed me so much that I had to scale my rating back. I felt that is was so out of left field that it was ridiculous, and totally unnecessary to be included for the conclusion to have worked.
I would categorize this as more of a family drama then a thriller (I think thriller fans will find it a tad slow for their liking). I thought it was an excellent portrayal of how hard being a mother is, and how easy it is to not recognize signs that someone may need help.
Interesting. I only know of her from her thrillers. I wonder what motivated her to shift genres.