https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/01/2023004-motherthing-ainslie-hogarth.html ( )

“All a person really needs is to feel unconditionally loved,” he said. “It’s built into our programming, a biological necessity, the species couldn’t survive without it. If it weren’t built in, we’d all be monsters, filled with pain and trying to inflict it on everyone else.” Then I couldn’t breathe. “Aren’t we like that though?” I asked him, wanting to cry, thinking of my most private, shameful thoughts . “Aren’t we all monsters filled with pain?”

Wow this is a dark take on the desire for motherhood. Abby really really wants to have a baby with her husband Ralph. She has imagined him - Cal - and everything about him, about what kind of child he'll be and how she'll be the perfect mother. But it hasn't happened for her yet. Ralph and Abby movie in with Ralphs mother, Laura, who would fit in well on Reddit for how much she hates Abby. And then Laura dies, and Ralph falls into a deep depression and begins to hallucinate that Laura is still with them.

This is filled with such black humor sometimes I snorted while reading. This won't be for everyone, and it wasn't perfect, but it's worth the read.

Thank you netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A strange little fugue state of a book, Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth will stay with me. After a troubled woman takes her own life, her son and daughter-in-law find themselves coping in unexpected and increasingly grim ways with the loss, and how their mental patterns have been shaped by the maternal in their lives. I found the narrator to be charming and insightful (up to a point), and I willingly followed her down increasingly bizarre paths.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley. ( )

Two people who are damaged from years of manipulation attempt to save one another, when they can’t really even save themselves. This is one of the most unique books that I’ve ever read. The plot was bizarre and I never knew what to expect. The characters were strange and obviously trouble, but they also loved one another enough to look out for each other. The writing was strange and took some time to get used to, but I enjoyed it. All in all, this book left me wondering, “What in the world did I just read?” But in a good way.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for this opportunity. ( )