Review: Mother, Mother By: Koren Zailckas

Mother, Mother: A Novel by Koren Zailckas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, my! This is quite a thriller! One that I could not put down, one that I had to devour in one day, that I also found that I had to put down occasionally and pace around the book with the energy that was surging through the pages. And yet I returned over and over unable to any solace until the last page was turned and a night of rest was behind me. This is one to discuss, to have in a book reading group, **not necessarily to be read with family members in mind ** especially if you have some dysfunction.
Joan Crawford maybe took lessons from Josephine Hurst, but couldn't touch the crazy with a capital C. The story is told through two points of view, that of prepubescent youngest son Will and the middle child Violet. The family dynamics are revealed through their eyes - their father- distant, recovering alcoholic; their eldest sister Rose - a runaway, perfect until she went against mom, an actress, the favorite; their mother, Josephine - through Will's eyes she is perfect, she is the moon and stars, although she has certain moments he will always live up to whatever she wants - through Violet's she sees the evil, the vindictiveness, the sneers, the controlling nature and that since she sees she will be labeled and put away.
That is where Violet finds herself, in a mental ward accused of attacking her little brother. She knows this is not true. She also finds that her sister that ran away over a year ago has reached out to her. Will is at home being visited by CPS and trying to explain his seizures and Asperger's and lack of memory of the attack and Josephine is busy making everything perfect and as it should.
This book is a must read. I really loved it.

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