The Mother
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Chosen by Bernardine Evaristo as one of her Top 20 Books by Black British Womxn Writers, Yvvette Edwards' second novel, The Mother, tells Marcia's story.
Marcia Williams thought she knew her son. She thought he was safe. She was wrong . . .
Today, Marcia is heading to the Old Bailey. She's going there to do something no mother should ever have to do: to attend the trial of the boy accused of her son's murder.
She's not meant to be that woman; Ryan, her son, wasn't that kind of boy. But Tyson Manley is that kind of a boy and, as his trial unfolds, it becomes clear that it's his girlfriend Sweetie who has the answers Marcia so badly needs and who can – perhaps – offer Marcia some kind of hope for the future. But Sweetie is as scared of Tyson as Ryan should have been and, as Marcia's learned the hard way, nothing's certain. Not any more.
'Skillfully plotted and heart-wrenching' – Stylist
'Thrilling, tense and poignant' – Heat
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Great writing can put us in someone else’s shoes and shake up our emotions. The Mother is a gripping novel about a woman reeling from her son's murder. Author Yvvette Edwards writes forcefully and beautifully, portraying her heroine’s inner turmoil alongside the external chaos of a high-profile criminal trial and the unravelling of a marriage. We tore through Edwards’ story, which is tragically topical, psychologically rich and, ultimately, uplifting.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edwards (A Cupboard Full of Coats) delves into the hyperactive mind of Marcia Williams as she struggles to process the recent murder of her 16-year-old son, Ryan, and find closure in an ocean of grief. Composed primarily of daily court proceedings and Marcia's internal search for meaning, the novel is evocatively claustrophobic. As neglected details of the case begin to emerge, Marcia's circular ruminations become increasingly seductive. The smallest facts begin to take on great importance as potential keys to Ryan's death, though Marcia reminds herself that the "what-ifs are infinite, a useless spiral stairway descending straight into hell." Marcia has been resentfully avoiding Sweetie the young woman with whom Ryan had been involved. But after this initial aversion wears away, Sweetie shows herself to be crucial in understanding Ryan's final days. The trial of Ryan's accused killer, Tyson Manley, which at first seems as if it will result in an easy murder conviction, is complicated by Sweetie's testimony and the shocking new evidence she brings to light. In this memorable story of strength in the aftermath of violent tragedy, Edwards paints a close, vivid portrait of a mother's unrelenting mission to avoid anger and blame, instead finding real justice and necessary closure.
