It’s been cold and windy and very snowy today, an interesting weather turn after the mild days we had a week or so ago. Good thing I can enjoy a steaming cup of chai and a delicious Date Bar whatever the weather!
I discovered a new author recently, Australian-born Sally Hepworth, and after one book, I think I’m hooked! I just finished The Mother-In-Law last week, and I found it to be a fast-paced, interesting and super-quick read. This novel is told from several points of view and moves from the present to various points in the recent past, which I found a bit confusing at first but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. Diana Goodwin is a pillar of the community and the founder of a charity to help pregnant refugees, but she’s certainly not a warm and fuzzy type of mother, preferring to have her children make their own mistakes and hopefully learn from them. She and her recently deceased husband Tom have plenty of money, but while Tom would happily help their adult son Ollie and daughter Nettie financially, Diana prefers to keep the purse strings drawn tightly shut. Ollie and his wife Lucy have three children under the age of seven, and Diana adores them, but she’s always been less-than-pleased with her daughter-in-law, despite Lucy’s many attempts to endear herself to Diana. When Diana is found dead, it initially appears to be a suicide, but upon further investigation, it looks like foul play may have been involved. But who would have killed her? With chapters alternating between various characters in the present and past, family secrets are revealed, and as the story progresses, we begin to understand all that is said, especially in the silences, until we reach a satisfying conclusion. This author has been recommended for fans of Liane Moriarty and Meg Abbott, and I would totally agree. I would say that readers of Lisa Jewell's books might also like these novels - I though this one was a bit of a cross between Moriarty and Jewell. I still think Liane Moriarty’s books have greater complexity and deal with more serious issues than these other authors, but all write engaging and enjoyable novels, at least for this reader. So if you enjoy reading domestic fiction dealing with family secrets and mysteries, this might be an author you’ll want to check out.
That’s all for today. Happy Last Sunday of March!!
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