THE MOTHER
by
Jane Caro
My first of Jane Caro’s offerings and hopefully there is more to come.
Miram Duffy is the matriarch of this family. Fiona is her eldest daughter, married with a daughter of her own. Slightly on the wilder side is Alison (Ally) who has just married (Nick) after previously dating several men that Miriam did not approve of….not that Miriam uttered as much to Ally. Nick turns out not to be the gentleman that Miriam thinks he is.
The mother/daughter relationship Miriam expected is non-existent as Ally and Nick find excuses not to visit or not to have visitors. However, when grandson Teddy came along he was several months old before Alison and Nick asked Miriam to visit and that invitation only came about after Nick phoned Miriam about Ally’s mental health. Miriam was told the house was a mess and it was anything but, a mess. Miriam also notes how tense Ally is when Nick is around. Ally eventually reveals, to Miriam, that she is pregnant again; pregnant within two months of giving birth. Little by little, Miriam discovers that Ally is leading a nightmare of an existence and not long after Isla arrives, Ally with encouragement from the mental health nurse leaves Nick and arrives at the family home much to Miriam’s delight.
Life goes downhill very quickly from here on. Miriam and Ally discover how ineffective Apprehended Violence Orders really are, and five years on Miriam does the unthinkable to protect her daughter and grandchildren.
I rated
The Mother
as a 
four-star read
***
At the time of writing my review
other Goodreads readers have awarded
The Mother
an average of 4.08 stars,
from 1,366 ratings
and 183 reviews.
***
The Mother
Can be purchased online at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
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