Are you a fan of psychological thrillers?
‘The Perfect Mother’ is the latest novel by Claire Allan, best-selling author known also for ‘Her Name Was Rose’, ‘The Affair’, and Forget Me Not’.
The Synopsis of The Perfect Mother
All I wanted was to help women become mothers. When I met Alice Monroe, we instantly connected. She was as passionate about motherhood as I was, and I couldn’t wait to support her through this life-changing experience.
But the day that should have been Alice’s happiest, turned into a nightmare. And after Alice’s dreams were shattered, she blamed me. Even though there was nothing I could have done, she wanted to ruin me. I lost my business, my reputation. My world fell apart.
Then, I discovered I was pregnant. That’s why we moved hundreds of miles away to the remote Derry countryside. Now, with this beautiful baby, we can have a fresh start.
But then Alice sends me a message. She knows where we are. And I realise it doesn’t matter how far we’ve moved; I am not safe from her. My baby is not safe.
She would have been the perfect mother. But if she can’t have her happy family, she’s not going to let me have mine.
More about The Perfect Mother
For some people, the traditional birthing route simply isn’t for them, and for those individuals, Mel is on hand to help. Having changed careers, moving from teaching to hypnobirthing, she now offers her services to expectant mothers looking for a doula to support them both before and during the birth.
As a new mum-to-be, Alice is passionate about the options available to expectant mothers. As an older first-time mum, she has done the research and knows what she wants—she doesn’t want to give birth in a clinical environment; she wants to enjoy the experience at home with just her husband and Mel there for support. In fact, it sounds like the perfect way to welcome her baby boy into the world, that is, until it isn’t!
What should be a joyous time turns into a nightmare for all involved. Both Alice’s and Mel’s worlds are turned upside down by the events of that one night – Alice loses the family she had long dreamt of, and Mel loses not only her friend but her livelihood, her reputation, and her stability. Both women spiral out of control in different ways, and both become haunted by what happened.
‘The Perfect Mother’ is told primarily from Mel’s perspective. We watch her world fall apart from a distance and follow her journey of trying to put it all back together again. Throughout, we get a glimpse of how cruel people can be, how unforgiving and vicious strangers can be, and the extent to which one person is prepared to punish Mel, blaming her entirely for what happened that faithful day.
My Thoughts on The Perfect Mother
“Alice is becoming increasingly unpredictable. She isn’t stable. And clearly, he is nowhere near done with blaming Mel”.
Before I had finished the prologue, I had questions; my brain had already gone into overdrive.
I wanted to know what had been so bad that people had turned Mel into a pariah. At this point, I was unaware of Alice and what had happened to her; I just knew that if the plot unfolded in the same way throughout the chapters, I was already hooked.
Set in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, the story is told from Mel’s perspective; she is the focus, although there are clearly two threads entwined. As the plot unfolds, however, I start to question whether everything described is genuinely happening or whether Mel is becoming increasingly paranoid and imagining things.
Is she simply overreacting to day-to-day things?
The Perfect Mother won’t be easy for some, especially if they have suffered a similar loss. It’s a challenging subject to tackle, and Claire Allan has handled it with great care.
I would say that this is more of a descriptive novel than some other psychological thrillers I have read recently, which, in some places, meant that the speed of the story dipped. But as it is an account of guilt and grief felt arising from the complexities of birth, it was one that I sped through. The characters were well-developed and believable, meaning I had to continue reading to find out who was behind the malicious attacks and whether my predictions were correct.
For those after a fast-paced thriller, this may not be one for you, and if you are triggered by child loss again, it might cause distress, but for those that would like to read, what I feel is a psychological thriller with a cosy-crime-esque type feel, this could be the perfect weekend read.
Have you read The Perfect Mother or any other novels by Claire Allan? If so, would you recommend any to others?
I was gifted a copy of this novel as part of a ‘Rachel’s Random Resources‘ book blog tour, but as always, all views are my own.
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