A PERFECT MOTHER
BY JO CROW
A Perfect Mother is one of those books that you can get involved in quickly and then forget quickly. The plot is predictable, the characters are overblown, and the ending is just what you would expect. Even at that, I finished the book and was at least somewhat entertained while reading it.
As happens in so many books, a spouse (in this case the husband), vanishes abruptly, leaving mountains of debt to his clueless wife, Laurie. Laurie suffers from OCD, stemming from a rape while she was in college. Her OCD is highlighted in the book and is one of the most believable and interesting story lines. It’s easy to guess early on who her rapist is, and the characters she later becomes entwined with are almost caricatures of real people, overly phony and non-believable. After her husband disappears, Laurie becomes involved professionally with an old friend, who is now an Instagram influencer. An influencer – that tells you pretty much what you need to know about that character, although there is a deeper side which emerges quickly. Ah, the plot thickens. But not much.
Seriously, the book was a fairly enjoyable read, if you’re not looking for much depth or challenge in trying to figure out who-done-it. One thing that bothered me, and this is strictly a personal issue, is that the story took place in the United States; the characters were from Milwaukee, and yet the author is apparently from another country, perhaps Britain. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that; please don’t misinterpret my meaning. I’m just saying that the terminology, the manner of speaking, the European spelling of certain words and the drinking of hot tea in the middle of a warm day definitely don’t scream Middle America, so the author may have wanted to check her details a little more carefully to fit in with the locality.
This book wasn’t a bad read at all. It just wasn’t close to being a great one. It was at least a pleasant way to kill an afternoon, and maybe a character or two.
Thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
House of Black and Blue 