JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

REVIEW AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Someone once told me that you have two families in your life – the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don’t choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been hoping for.

But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something…

From the bestselling author of The Family Next Door comes a new page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth is a complex, emotionally charged novel that will keep readers engaged, entertained and eager for the next page. I loved it.

Lucy shares a rather complicated relationship with her mother-in-law Diana. She’s prickly, to say the least. She’s harsh, blunt and she speaks her mind. At times she makes Lucy feel small and unimportant and like she doesn’t matter. Lucy lost her own mother at the age of thirteen, and she is disappointed that her relationship with Diana is so fraught and tried.

And then Diana is murdered.

“In the three days since Diana died, I haven’t cooked a meal, done a load of laundry or been to the supermarket. I haven’t disciplined a child, helped anyone with homework or hidden any vegetables in spaghetti sauce.”

I loved that Diana’s character never changed. Her personality and her reasons for her decisions may not make a lot of sense to readers, but she’s the kind of person who remains the same person throughout the novel.

Sure, she warms to Lucy and she learns to admit when she’s misjudged someone, but she has values and morals and she sticks to them. She’s an interestingly unique character and I quite liked her, even if some of her decisions had catastrophic results.

The basis of Diana’s difficult behaviour is that she had a really difficult childhood and she had to build her extravagant lifestyle from nothing. She thinks the best thing that she can do for her children is give them no money and very little help, thereby forcing them to build their lives themselves and not rely on other people when in need of help.

“After Tom badgered me for years, I finally relented and allowed Ollie and Nettie to attend schools with term fees high enough to feed an entire Afghan village for a year. Years later, I’m still doubtful as to whether the schools were any better than the local ones.”

The novel keeps you guessing, wondering who Diana finally frustrated enough for them to murder her. Because Diana is, at times, very infuriating. And I imagine being her child would be incredibly difficult at times.

Sally Hepworth builds tension well, maintaining a consistent pace throughout the novel so that the reader feels like they’re getting enough enough information to piece together the story, but not too much that the ending is predictable or obvious.

Sally also illustrates motherhood and parenting really well, showing readers the harsh reality of what it’s like when you’re looking after a baby, especially if you’ve got other children you’re looking after too. The book switches back and forth between present and past and we read about Lucy’s journey into motherhood, but we also read about Lettie — Lucy’s sister-in-law — and her struggles with fertility. She and her husband desperately want children but Lettie struggles to fall pregnant and her and her husband struggle to save the money to pursue alternate means of conceiving, such as IVF or surrogacy.

“She glances over her shoulder, then spins on her stool so she is facing me. She’s lost weight. Her eyes look more prominent in her face. And her hair has a dull look, like it hasn’t been washed in a while.”

This book seems to blend a number of different genres — it’s a mix of literary fiction, but also family saga, crime, thriller and mystery. It’s a delicious concoction that I devoured.

The Mother-In-Law is an astounding book, difficult to fault. Recommended for all readers of any genre.

The Mother-in-Law is available now, Macmillan Australia, RRP $29.99.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH SALLY HEPWORTH

Firstly, tell us a little bit about your latest novel, The Mother In Law?

The Mother in Law is a novel about the investigation into the unexpected death of a wealthy matriarch, and mother-in-law. But on a deeper level it is about the relationship between that matriarch, Diana Goodwin, and her daughter-in-law, Lucy, and the difficulties they have as they try to forge a relationship.

Here is how my publisher describes the book:
From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been hoping for. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. Lucy and Oliver wonder if her treatment for cancer had worn her down.

The autopsy finds that Diana didn’t have cancer, but it does reveal evidence of suffocation. Someone wanted Diana dead. And everyone in the family is hiding something…

What does a typical writing day look like for you?
I work 10 hours a day, 4 days a week. On those days, my day tends to look like this:
-8am: I arrive at the library, go through my emails and clear my inbox.
-9am: I do any writing related work that isn’t writing (for example if I have an article to write, or a Q&A to complete, or a cover to approve, I’ll do that first).
-10am: I move into the book part of the day. If I’m writing a first draft, I’ll focus on work count—around 2,000-3,000 words a day. If I’m editing, I’ll focus on how many pages I want to edit (3-5 chapters per day). I don’t always get to my goal, but it helps to aim for something.
-1pm: lunch
-2pm: more writing / editing
-5pm: Clear my inbox again.
-5:30pm I walk home.

What do you think is vital when writing suspense and mystery?
Unanswered questions are really the definition of suspense, aren’t they? I think so. I can’t quit a book if there are questions yet to be answered. Maybe that’s just me? Ideally your story should start with one or two unanswered questions, and then more should be introduced as the story goes along.

What element of novel writing do you most struggle with?
Editing. How I loathe editing! I adore creating a first draft, for me that is when I feel the energy flowing. But editing seems to exercise a different muscle, and for me, it doesn’t matter how often I do it, it is a muscle that is out of shape. What can I say? I prefer building to renovating ☺

What element of novel writing do you think is your biggest strength?
I think I’m quite good at keeping the pages turning. I achieve this through short chapters, creating cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, and leaving plenty of unanswered questions dangling throughout the book.

What do you think is key to writing relatable, realistic relationships?
I try to look to my own relationships, and the relationships of people I know, to create situations that feel real. It also helps to step into each character’s skin, see the world through their eyes, and understand what drives them, what motivates them. Writers need to be deeply empathetic to create authentic characters, and be prepared to explore a point of view that is different to their own. They also have to steer away from making a character a villain, simply because they have made a poor choice. The best people (in fiction and in real life) have flaws and strengths, failings and assets.

What have you learnt with each new book you’ve written? Has your writing process improved?
Honestly I’m not sure my process has improved! It feels just as muddled as ever. In fact, I’m constantly plagued by the idea that someone else is doing it better (fortunately all my writer friends also feel like this, so I figure it’s just part of being a writer). As for what I’ve learned, it’s been different for each book, but the most important thing I’ve learned is that eventually I will finish this book (even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time).

Finally, what are you working on next?
I’m currently editing my 2020 book, which is about three couples who end up at a swingers party.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother-in-Law
Sally Hepworth
February 2019
Pan Macmillan

The Au Pair by Emma Rous

A tautly plotted mystery of dark family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton.

Seraphine Mayes and her brother Danny are known as the summer-born Summerbournes: the first set of summer twins to be born at Summerbourne House. But on the day they were born their mother threw herself to her death, their au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark-cloaked figures and a stolen baby.

Now twenty-five, and mourning the recent death of her father, Seraphine uncovers a family photograph taken on the day the twins were born featuring both parents posing with just one baby. Seraphine soon becomes fixated with the notion that she and Danny might not be twins after all, that she wasn’t the baby born that day and that there was more to her mother’s death than she has ever been told…

Why did their beloved au pair flee that day?
Where is she now?
Does she hold the key to what really happened?

The Au Pair by Emma Rous is a mystery thriller spanning decades. The book explores love, relationships, truth, family secrets, selfishness and honesty.

The protagonist, 25-year-old Seraphine Mayes, has never looked like her brothers and her father, and wants to know why their mother committed suicide at their family home in Summerbourne. An unfamiliar photo sparks an investigation into their family history, uncovering many dangerous, long-hidden secrets.

Seraphine’s father has recently died in a sudden accident, and she’s going through his belongings. She finds this photo from July 1992, of her mother, father, brother, standing and smiling with a newborn baby. But Seraphine and Danny are twins. Why is there only one baby in the photo? And why, mere hours later, did their mother commit suicide at their family’s remote estate on the Norfolk coast? Questions arise, and Seraphine is determined to uncover answers.

‘Danny and I were always told this was the first picture taken of us after all those months lost to grief when we were born…I have a sudden memory of Dad telling me this was the brief stage when Danny and I were the same size; when he’d just caught up with me, before he surged ahead and left me forever the smaller one.’

The writing is really accessible for all readers; the prose flows rather well and the characters are interesting enough to entice the reader. The premise of the novel is an intriguing one, and will draw readers in and keep them guessing until the final chapters.

This debut novel is a little convoluted at times, and as the secrets start to reveal themselves, the reader will find themselves a little confused with how everything connects. At times, the book is a mind boggle.

Sometimes, the dialogue feels a little forced, particularly in conversation between the siblings where there’s tension or revelation or betrayal. The ‘outrage’ felt by some of the family members is not quite captured realistically.

“Why did he say I was impossible? Who Am I?”

This book has a gorgeous cover, which initially drove me into this book and got me interested in reading it. And despite its flaws, I enjoyed reading the novel and struggled to predict the ending of the book. There were many twists and turns, all adding suspense and tension to the plot. This book will have readers desperate for answers.

The Au Pair utilises dual narrative timelines, switching back and forth between Seraphine in 2017 and Laura, the au pair working at Summerbourne from 1991-1992. Slowly, Laura’s timeline fills in the gaps of the story and we learn what really happened the day of Seraphine’s birth.

There is a strong sense of place in this book; the Summerbourne estate almost felt like another character. I could really sense the atmosphere and the isolation and the mystery and intrigue that followed all who had lived there before. The cliffs that surround Summerbourne are dangerous and have been the cause of a few accidents and deaths in the past. It’s a very ominous setting for the book.

There was one twist in the book — surrounding Laura — that I found very unbelievable and unrealistic. And I felt like it made the ending a little too easy? It’s hard to explain without spoiling the book, but if you do decide to read The Au Pair, you’ll know what I’m referring to once you reach the end of the book.

Recommended reading for people who love mysteries and family sagas. This is a modern gothic thriller.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Au Pair
Emma Rous
December 2018
Hachette Book Publishers

The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly

HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE FOUR KINGDOMS SCORNED.
THE HUNT FOR JACK WEST JR HAS BEGUN.
A SHADOW WORLD BEHIND THE REAL WORLD

When Jack West Jr won the Great Games, he threw the four legendary kingdoms into turmoil.

A WORLD WITH ITS OWN HISTORY, RULES AND PRISONS

Now these dark forces are coming after Jack … in ruthless fashion.

THAT IS REACHING INTO OUR WORLD … EXPLOSIVELY

With the end of all things rapidly approaching, Jack must find the Three Secret Cities, three incredible lost cities of legend.

It’s an impossible task by any reckoning, but Jack must do it while he is being hunted …

The Three Secret Cities is the fifth book in Matthew Reilly’s Jack West Jr series, bringing another high-stakes race against the clock for Reilly’s loyal readers.

in each book of this series, Captain Jack West Jr and his team must solve some sort of puzzle or mission to save the world. In The Three Secret Cities, they must find three ancient weapons and use them to complete a ritual that will save mankind.

Whilst you could follow this storyline on its own, the reader would get more enjoyment if they’ve read the whole series thus far. Each book may have its own unique plot, but more events in the book would make sense if you’d read them all, including any references to past books. Reilly’s inclusion of Schofield and another character from the Scarecrow series will delight fans.

“Hades marched right past them, hit a switch under his desk and a whole bookcase in the wall suddenly swung open on a hinge, revealing a massive silver vault door with a high-tech digital keypad and scanner on it.”

Like the other books in the series, The Three Secret Cities features real world places from both modern and ancient civilisations. This is a fictional landscape that’s believable and entertaining, with mythology woven into the plot.

Reilly’s pacing is always sharp and quick, and the story moves along really well. The reader is engaged in the storyline from the very first page, and will find a lot of enjoyment in Captain Jack West Jr and his adventures. Readers are always craving what’s next.

There’s a great sense of camaraderie in The Three Secret Cities; all of his team members have their own specialties and together, they can solve all the mysteries that come their way.

Scattered through the book are black and white diagrams. They might be of locations or tombs or puzzles and they help the reader better understand the context of the story. The diagrams help the reader visualise complex plot points or puzzles.

“Sparks flew, fibreglass shattered and suddenly the plane had two stub-wings instead of real ones. Jack ducked his head as the Piper zoomed into the deeper darkness of the side canal, still travelling at phenomenal speed, kicking up a churning wake in the narrow confines of the canal.”

Matthew Reilly is a brilliant writer, and his books are always fast-paced with wonderful characters and perfect pacing. I’m excited and eager for the next book in the Jack West Jr series.

These books are also beautifully packaged. They’re hardback with pristine jackets and colourful cover designs.

It’s difficult to fault this series and this latest book, and that’s probably why Reilly’s books are so popular and why he has such a loyal fanbase. If it’s been a while since you’ve read the previous book in the series, then the prologue in The Three Secret Cities will jolt your memory and remind you what happened in their previous adventure.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Three Secret Cities
Matthew Reilly
November 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan

December 2018, and free-spirited influencers Bo Loxley and her partner Zac are living a life of wanderlust, travelling the globe and sharing their adventures with their millions of fans. Booked to spend Christmas in the Norwegian fjords, they set up home in a remote farm owned by enigmatic mountain guide Anders and his fierce grandmother Signy. Surrounded by snowy peaks and frozen falls, everything should be perfect. But the camera can lie and with every new post, the ‘perfect’ life Zac and Bo are portraying is diverging from the truth. Something Bo can’t explain is wrong at the very heart of their lives and Anders is the only person who’ll listen.

June 1936, and fourteen-year old Signy is sent with her sister and village friends to the summer pastures to work as milkmaids, protecting the herd that will sustain the farm through the long, winter months. But miles from home and away from the safety of their families, threat begins to lurk in friendly faces…

The mountains keep secrets – Signy knows this better than anyone – and as Bo’s life begins to spiral she is forced, like the old woman before her, to question who is friend and who is foe.

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan is a festive novel set in the scenic fjords of Norway.

The book alternates between December 2018 and June 1936. In the present, Instagram influencers Amy ‘Bo’ Loxley and Zac Austen have arrived in Norway with their photographer Lenny and their clothing brand representative Anna. They’re planning to spend a couple of weeks in a remote cabin taking beautiful photographs of their surroundings for their followers and promote the clothing line that’s paying them $200K.

In June 1936, we meet a group of young women as they undertake work as milkmaids in the summer pastures. Friendships are tested and intentions are questioned.

It took me some time to warm to the 1936 storyline. At first, I felt like the characters weren’t relatable and I found my attention waning. But over time, I became invested in the tension between the young girls and the chilling events that were unfolding deep within the Norwegian woods.

I adored Zac and Bo’s storyline, and Karen Swan has done a fabulous job of capturing the setting. The beautiful wintry locations in the book are described so clearly, I was enraptured. The characters visit stunning, scenic waterfalls, mountains and icy fjords. The setting itself feels like a character in the book, concealing beautiful and dangerous locations and only revealing itself to those who are truly interested.

Bo is torn between what she wants her life to be like and what her life is expected to be. She’s got millions of adoring fans online, but is she really happy? Is this what she wants? And does Zac have her best interests at heart?

“She felt even angrier now. She had always made a point of never commenting on Lenny’s love life; if sleeping around made him happy, she wasn’t going to stand in judgement of it, but she could already see how this was going to play out.”

Underneath all of this, there is also a dangerous stalker lurking in the background. A man, who is unknown to Bo, has been stalking her online and following her around the world. She’s worried what will happen when he catches up to her, and no one except her new friend Anders seems to be taking her seriously.

Bo learns to trust her instincts and acknowledge the cracks in her relationship. Her and Zac were once leading a healthy relationship, but they’re not anymore. Bo isn’t happy with Zac and Lenny’s lifestyle and this holiday to Norway is opening her eyes to what life could really be like for Bo if she started leading her life the way she actually wanted.

“She didn’t know what to do with herself — what to do or where to go — and was still perched on the edge of the sofa when she heard him go back down the stairs ten minutes later.”

At first, Bo is quite a shallow person only thinking about her followers and her online presence. But over time, we realise there’s more to her as a character and we come to understand her and like her more.

Signy, who is the main character in the 1936 storyling, is still alive in 2018. She’s now a 96 year old woman and she’s living in the remote cabin that Bo and her friends are bunking in for the holidays. Signy recognises herself in Bo and takes a liking to her, offering her advice and encouraging her to open her eyes to what’s really around her. At first, Bo is sceptical. But then she comes to understand what Signy is trying to tell her.

In the end, I did think the similarities between Anders’ backstory and Bo’s stalker were a little absurd and way too coincidental. I almost think Anders’ past could’ve been cut out of the book and everything would’ve been fine.

An enjoyable read with a beautiful setting and an intriguing premise.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Lights
Karen Swan
November 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

You told each other everything. Then she told you too much.

Kit has risen to the top of her profession and is on the brink of achieving everything she wanted. She hasn’t let anything stop her.

But now someone else is standing in her way – Diane. Best friends at seventeen, their shared ambition made them inseparable. Until the day Diane told Kit her secret – the worst thing she’d ever done, the worst thing Kit could imagine – and it blew their friendship apart.

Kit is still the only person who knows what Diane did. And now Diane knows something about Kit that could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for.

How far would Kit go, to make the hard work, the sacrifice, worth it in the end? What wouldn’t she give up? Diane thinks Kit is just like her. Maybe she’s right. Ambition: it’s in the blood…

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott is a psychological thriller about two women and the power of a secret.

The novel explores female friendship and how two women can toe the line between friends and enemies. Diane Fleming and Kit Owens haven’t seen each other for over ten years, until Diane shows up at Kit’s work and the two women are forced to co-exist together. But no one can know the real reason why they stopped speaking after high school.

The two women were close friends once, but now seem to be professionals rivals. And since Kit knows Diane’s biggest secret, Kit is worried that Diane feels threatened by that. And if so, what she’ll do to silence Kit. Much more than just their careers are at stake.

“You always wonder, when someone is trying so hard, what it’s really about…Maybe, for Diane, working really hard was a way of crouching low in her grief, of staying under the radar. Of hiding. But in other ways she was impossible to miss.”

Megan Abbott has captured setting incredibly well. Most of this novel takes place within the walls of a science lab, so everything feels very claustrophobic and tense. It’s the perfect setting for Diane and Kit’s reunion.

Kit is a postdoc researcher for Dr. Lena Severin, a well-respected, inspiring mentor. She’s strong and determined and confident. She’s everything Kit wants to be.

There’s an exciting opportunity at the lab — Dr. Severin is spearheading a study of PMDD, which stands for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Everyone wants a spot on that team, but there’s only room for two researchers and there are quite a few colleagues to choose from.

It’s a high-stakes environment and Diane wants this more than anything. But so do her colleagues. And as tensions rise and Diane and Kit’s working relationship starts to fracture, the people around them are starting to notice that something is amiss about the two of them.

“In the car, we don’t speak. She drives carefully. Stopping at all the yellow lights. Every time she turns a corner, her key chain smacks the ignition panel. One of those furry key chain kids used to have swinging from their backpacks.”

Something about this novel just doesn’t hit the mark. Not once did I feel like Diane was going to threaten everything Kit has accomplished. Diane is supposed to be seen as an unpredictable, unstable villain but really she seems like a complicated woman with a tragic secret and a dark mind. And Diane’s ‘secret’ — the author teases it for the first half of the book — is incredibly predictable.

If you’re a lover of crime, thriller or psychological fiction, then this story accomplishes enough to entertain you. You’ll be intrigued by Diane’s secret and the evolution of Kit and Diane’s friendship. Unfortunately, I felt like this novel fell short of what the blurb claimed, but others may enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Give Me Your Hand
Megan Abbott
August 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers