This is a book I simply had to get reading as soon as I could. Having read Sanjida Kay’s previous two thrillers earlier this year, the fact that this book was to be released at the beginning of May made for wonderful timing!
It is a book that really cements Kay’s growing status as a prominent thriller writer. The cover art is glorious, and it received much more publicity ahead of its release than her last two novels. And was that justified? Most definitely!
Pages: 394
Published: 3rd May 2018
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Lizzie Bradshaw. A student from the Lake District, forced to work away from home, who witnesses a terrible crime. But who will ultimately pay the price?
Emma Taylor. A mother, a wife, and a woman with a dangerous secret. Can she keep her beloved family safely together?
Stella Taylor. A disaffected teenager, determined to discover what her mother is hiding. But how far will she go to uncover the truth?
And one man, powerful, manipulative and cunning, who controls all their destinies.
This is an excellent work of literature. A story packed with astonishing twists and palpable suspense, but all the while combining it with sophisticated points of view, expertly realised settings, and an unwavering attention to detail.
The story begins in an intriguing way, and although at first glance some of the characters appear to be unrelated and part of two different narratives, there is so much lying beneath the surface. What follows is a complex and absorbing tale which gradually unwinds with increasing tension.
It covers a wide range of themes, some of which come to the fore as the story develops and act as major plot points. Trying to disentangle the mystery in my head was great fun, as Kay leaves few clues until revealing the twists in dramatic style.
I will try not to give too much away, but the way the lives of the two sets of characters merge into one is done very well, and it happens in more ways than I could have believed as the story progresses. About three quarters of the way through, there is a massive curve-ball of a twist that I really did not see coming! There is also another major twist towards the end, which I did kind of predict, although the way it was written meant it still carried a great effect.
The themes of My Mothers Secret and the actions of the characters give rise to a lot of interesting moral questions. Should Emma have given in to her temptation? What would you do in Lizzie’s predicament? Is the ending a fair outcome for everyone?
The story is told from three separate points of view. We have Emma, who is clearly hiding something; her 14-year-old daughter, Stella; and Lizzie, a young woman married woman with a baby son, who witnesses a terrible crime.
Of the three, I connected most with Stella. Though at times she is the archetypal moody teenager, she has the most authentic voice and provides a more open-minded perspective. In amongst all of her questionable attitudes, she is strong-willed and always knows her own mind. I love that she is a feminist, and that she is also a bookworm ;)
And Sanjida Kay captures her very well as a character. The way she writes most of her perspective in the language of a teenage girl shows just what a talented author she is, and that comes across especially well in Stella’s tantrums, and the moments where she voices her inner insecurities.
All of the characters are very well drawn, and we get to know them right to the last detail. Even the minor supporting characters such as Gillian and Katie conjure up a clear image in my mind.
Attention to detail is Sanjida Kay’s top selling point, and what initially attracted me to her work. As ever, this is best demonstrated in the description of the settings. Every aspect of every landscape, every feature of a particular room, every background noise adding that little extra atmosphere, it is all there on the page (or on the screen of my Kindle :) ). It is akin to watching television in ultra high definition!
And then we also have the added bits about cake, and rare plants. The National Trust sites which I have yet to visit. It is extremely enriching for me as a reader, and though it leads to a slower pace, it never detracts from the story. I also like the added use of similes and effective juxtapositions.
There is the added bonus of the book being partly set in Bristol, where both I and Sanjida Kay happen to live. Just like in Bone by Bone, it was cool to read about some places which I know really well!
Despite all of these good points, there were a couple of things in my mind that just about stopped it from being a five-star read. The main thing was the tone of the writing. I appreciate that the subject matter is dark, but some of the descriptions and language used was a bit too explicit for my taste. I just feel that Sanjida Kay’s other books had a little more subtlety in this regard.
But on the whole, a fabulous read. I would certainly recommend it if you were looking for a complex, slowly building psychological thriller with many a startling twist.
How does it compare to Sanjida Kay’s other books?
This is without doubt the edgiest of Sanjida Kay’s three psychological thrillers to date. The language is coarser; the main characters have much less innocence about them, and although it creates a harsher and slightly less palatable tone, the upshot is that it all lends itself to a plot with more twists and more multi-layered themes at play.
I loved Bone by Bone. It has no real twists and moves in a fairly linear pattern, but the way it was written and the detail that went into it made it a perfect book in my eyes. The Stolen Child had a similar writing style, but the plot was more intricate as it unravelled with great suspense.
What makes My Mother’s Secret different to those two is the fact that it is told from the perspectives of mainly adults and teenagers, rather than parents and younger children. That goes some way to explaining the harder tone…
However, the overall writing style is omnipresent. The setting is vivid and it feels like I am able to see and hear everything. The way Sanjida Kay portrays relationships between parents and their children is brilliant and unfailingly realistic. These three books are truly phenomenal exhibition of her ability as a thriller author, and I cannot wait to see what she has in mind for her next one.
What else can I say? My Mother’s Secret is a terrific book of twists, secrets, and suspense. It is powerful and at times ferocious, but it unravels slowly and spectacularly.
The tone did not quite do it for me in places, but that is only personal preference. If you like thrillers, you MUST read this one, as well as Sanjida Kay’s other work!
Stephen Reads Books 