Author: Yvette Edwards
Publisher: Amistad
Date of Publication: May 2016
Marcia’s husband, Lloydie, expresses his tender love for his
wife each morning by preparing a cup of tea and setting it by her bedside. This
routine was part of the wonderful, secure life they had built, complete with a
brilliant and handsome sixteen-year-old son, Ryan.
Then the unimaginable happens, and in a single moment Marcia
is stripped clean of everything she had presumed was hers for keeps. Ryan, not
the kind of boy to find himself on the wrong end of a knife, is brutally
murdered. Consumed by grief and rage, she is forced to carry the weight of the
family’s pain. She has to assume the role of supporter for her inconsolable
husband, who has distanced himself and created a secret life. She must also
bridle her dark feelings and endure something no mother should ever have to experience:
she must go to court alone for the trial of her son’s killer, Tyson, another
teenage boy. As the trial takes apart her son’s life and reassembles it in
front of strangers, Marcia, always certain of Ryan’s virtues, finds her beliefs
and assumptions challenged as she learns more about her son’s death and of
Tyson’s life.
The Mother was kind of a difficult book to get through emotionally. Marcia's son has been murdered and the book opens as she prepares for the trial of his killer. Her marriage seems to be on the fritz and she can barely function on some days. The story follows her through the trial and gives you insight into her thoughts about everything going on around her.
This is a very emotional book. As a mother, I found it so heart wrenching. I can't imagine and hope I never to know what it would be like to lose a child in this way. The emotions that not only Marcia but her husband and sister displayed came across as very real to me. I liked that we get to see her inner thoughts about the killer, his mother, and the girlfriend. I could honestly see myself thinking the same thoughts. One of the scene that stuck with me the most was a commentary about the thoughtlessness of the media. When Marcia's sister tells the media off about not labeling the two boy's photos in the paper, I was cheering her on!
The only thing that I didn't really like about the book was the ending. I felt like her decision didn't feel right to me after all she had been through with the trial. It just didn't ring true. I also felt a bit cheated after going through it with her and having it be kind of open ended with no epilogue.
This is a quick read, but one that will stick with you for a long time. I do recommend giving this one a try. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This is a very emotional book. As a mother, I found it so heart wrenching. I can't imagine and hope I never to know what it would be like to lose a child in this way. The emotions that not only Marcia but her husband and sister displayed came across as very real to me. I liked that we get to see her inner thoughts about the killer, his mother, and the girlfriend. I could honestly see myself thinking the same thoughts. One of the scene that stuck with me the most was a commentary about the thoughtlessness of the media. When Marcia's sister tells the media off about not labeling the two boy's photos in the paper, I was cheering her on!
The only thing that I didn't really like about the book was the ending. I felt like her decision didn't feel right to me after all she had been through with the trial. It just didn't ring true. I also felt a bit cheated after going through it with her and having it be kind of open ended with no epilogue.
This is a quick read, but one that will stick with you for a long time. I do recommend giving this one a try. I look forward to reading more from this author.
About Yvvette Edwards
Yvvette Edwards, the author of the highly praised A
Cupboard Full of Coats, has lived in London all her life. She resides in
the East End and is married with three daughters and a stepson. The
Mother is her second novel.
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I know this will stick with me for a long time - having a teen boy of my own, the story hits very close to home.
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