There is nothing more complicated than a woman's relationship with her mother-in-law. Diana knew from their first meeting that Lucy was not good enough for her son, Ollie. And from the first time they met, Lucy knew that her mother-in-law, Diana, was a real piece of work. She was loved and respected by all, but Lucy. Nobody could understand why their relationship was rocky from the start. Now Diana is dead and the police have ruled it a homicide. Given their rocky relationship, it is no surprise that Lucy is included in the suspect pool, but so is Ollie. And Ollie's sister and her husband. Who besides Lucy disliked Diana so much they wanted to see her dead?
I know that I am lucky to adore the woman that I consider my mother-in-law. I know that the kind of relationship that many women have with their mothers-in-law is one of contention and strife. And full of misunderstanding. I liked both Diana and Lucy well enough, but I think that is because the author told the story from both of their perspectives. The way they treated each other was often cringe-worthy, but I also think it goes back to their own insecurities and the way they communicated or did not communicate, with each other. I did like how the author told the story from alternating viewpoints because I really felt that I got a chance to know them both. Diana's grief was so deep and complete that it was only Lucy who was objective enough to see that it was beyond the normal. It was really interesting to me that it was Lucy who stepped up to help her when she needed it the most. When her own kids couldn't see that she needed help. I wasn't all that shocked by the "whodunit" - in fact, there was one sentence that gave it away fairly early on, but the secrets being kept shocked me more than whodunit - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.
Bottom Line - It is not unusual for mothers to not get along with their son's wives. It is not unusual for families to have secrets. The Mother-In-Law was an excellent book about a family mired in resentment and shrouded in secrecy.
Details:
- The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
- On Instagram
- Pages: 352
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press
- Publication Date: 4/23/2019
- Buy it Here!
- Thank you to Netgalley for the book in exchange for a review.
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