I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mothered by Zoje Stage Published by Thomas & Mercer on March 1 2023
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Pages: 317
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Zoje Stage’s latest should have worked, but too many disconnected elements made for an overall confusing and lackluster thriller.
I had high hopes for Mothered, since I’ve had such good experiences with Stage’s other books, but unfortunately this didn’t completely work for me. The premise is great: a woman struggling to pay her bills due to Covid lock-downs agrees to let her mother move in with her. Both women are mentally unstable in different ways, so the story should have worked. But although there was plenty of potential, the execution fell flat at times.
Grace has just purchased her first house when the Covid-19 pandemic hits, and when her employer decides to retire, Grace suddenly finds herself without a paycheck. Luckily, her estranged mother Jackie has a great idea: Jackie’s husband has just died and she doesn’t want to live alone. Why not move in with Grace and help her pay the bills? It seems like the perfect solution, but is Grace really equipped to cohabitate with her mother? As the pandemic drags on, Grace begins to experience terrifying nightmares, many of them having to do with her sister Hope, who died when Grace was a teenager. The tension between Grace and Jackie mounts, and Grace’s nightmares worsen. Are they real? Or is she losing her mind?
Let’s start with the positive, because there were things I liked about this book. First, Stage has created a creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere that leaves the reader feeling very uncomfortable. There is a sense of unease permeating the story, and even lighter moments are overshadowed by the feeling that things just aren’t quite right. And for a thriller, that’s a good thing. The Covid-19 element adds a lot to this unease (although I have more to say about the pandemic theme later in this review), and the author really captures the fears and uncertainties of those first few weeks of the pandemic, when no one really knew what was happening.
A lot of the story deals with Grace having weird nightmares, and while this device started to get old after a while, it was effective at first. The dreams were described in such a way that it was hard to figure out whether they were real or not. Sometimes Grace appeared to be having a conversation with someone, and then it would devolve into a bloody nightmare. I found myself making notes like “WTF” quite a bit, these sections were so weird and shocking. If the author was trying to keep the reader off balance, then she succeeded.
I also really enjoyed the flashbacks with Grace and Hope as children, and I actually found these sections to be much more interesting than the interactions between Grace and Jackie. Hope was born with cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair to get around. She wasn’t able to speak very well, but Grace understood everything she said, as they had a strong sister bond between them. Hope was smart and did well in school, and Jackie never missed an opportunity to let Grace know that Hope was her favorite daughter. It was heartbreaking to read about their weird dynamic, which is even weirder because it turns out Hope was a horrible person. She was mean and manipulative and went out of her way to hurt Grace whenever she could, and even though Hope is dead, Grace still feels haunted by the awful things Hope did to her. One of the things the girls did together as children was to make paper dolls and elaborate paper outfits for them, which leads to one of the more shocking events in the story. There’s also a twist where Jackie reveals something to Grace that makes her question her memories and sanity. In short, I enjoyed everything surrounding Hope’s storyline.
But now for the elements that didn’t work for me. Oddly enough, the author introduced a side plot where Grace has taken on multiple online male personas and is catfishing unsuspecting women. It was just—weird. She calls these women her “damsels” and offers them relationship advice, and in order to keep them all straight, she has a detailed notebook with each of her persona’s names and who they are “helping.” The only reason I could think of for including this was to add drama to Grace’s and Jackie’s relationship (Jackie eventually finds out her secret), but otherwise it was just a distraction that didn’t do anything for the plot.
When I started reading, I thought I was going to get a horror/thriller story revolving around Grace and her mother, but honestly, most of their scenes together were pretty boring. Grace bends over backwards to make her mother welcome, even though Jackie is clearly gaslighting her. Things don’t get interesting until almost the end of the book, and by that time my head was spinning with everything going on: Covid, nightmares, Grace’s catfishing scheme, a weird scene in a beauty salon (where Grace has just started a new job) that had nothing to do with the rest of the story, and the side plot with Miguel. A burst of violence at the end should have added excitement, but it felt more confusing than thrilling, unfortunately. Plus, I was disappointed that the scissors on the cover of the book didn’t play a bigger role in the story. There was definitely a missed opportunity at the end, which I can’t go into because of spoilers, but it would have made the whole thing more cohesive.
Finally, the elephant in the room, the Covid storyline. Sigh. I understand that Stage wrote Mothered at the beginning of the pandemic, but three years later I’m sort of over reading about it. I felt as if I were reliving those early months, especially when Grace’s best friend Miguel gets Covid and winds up in the hospital on a ventilator. I just didn’t see the need for that storyline, and to be honest, Miguel was such an annoying character and the book would have been better without him.
Bottom line, it’s hard for me to recommend Mothered. I’d rather point you in the direction of a couple of Zoje Stage’s other books that I loved, Wonderland and Getaway (I haven’t yet read Baby Teeth but it’s on my list). Despite my complaints, though, I will always pick up a new book by Zoje Stage.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Your “pandemic fatigue” is more than understandable and you are not the only one wanting something different in your books. It’s not a matter of hiding one’s head under the sand, but rather the need to move forward from what has been a period of our lives that is thankfully over.
As for the book, I understand how adding too many elements in a story can drag it down and turn the reading into a monumental effort…. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…ALL THE BLOOD WE SHARE, by Camilla Bruce
I’m glad we agree!
Disappointing! I’d planned to read this one (it was free on Kindle!), but I’m less inclined after seeing this review. I still need to read Wonderland, so maybe I’ll go with that instead! (And I really don’t need COVID storylines in my fiction… I’ve already read a few of those, and that’s enough.)
Wonderland is much better, in my opinion:-)
I’m really glad to have your thoughts. I debated about picking this one in the Amazon First reads and ended up with a different book and now I’m glad. Excellent review Tammy.
Thanks Anne!
Covid is playing a role in so many books lately and while I can understand since it sort of took over our lives for such a long time, I can see where it’s getting old. Personally I read primarily for escapism and if I want real world, I look outside my window. I also have this book as it was a Prime pick for last month. Usually Prime picks are smaller named authors so I was shocked when this one showed up and now maybe I’m understanding why.
Great review! And I am curious about Hope though.
I think most people are trying to forget about Covid at this point, so being reminded of it three years later just didn’t work for me. Thanks Barb!
Sorry to hear this one didn’t work as well for you, but I love that you’ve read and enjoyed other works by the author. It does appear this one had a lot going on, perhaps too much. But here’s hoping the next book by the author is as good as the others you enjoyed.
I’m sure the next one will work better:-)
It too early to look back on COVID and put in stories. This book sound like it has too much going on. imo a good thriller has to have a story with a simple plot but can throw in some twist and add tension.
Snapdragon recently posted…Hunter X Hunter
Good point, simpler plots work much better in most cases:-)
This does sound like it’s flawed. Sorry that it didn’t work out for you. I totally understand how the covid side plot was boring to you. I haven’t read anything mentioning covid yet but I see myself rolling my eyes at it. Great honest thoughts, Tammy.
I’ve read SO many Covid books lately, lol. I’m going to have to read the blurbs more carefully before I pick up books!
Oh oh sorry this was not a good one
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Six degrees of separation: a passage to France
Me too, I usually love her books.
I just got this audiobook for review, now I’m worried, lol. I think the real killer for me will be the lack of horror. I kinda expected this to be scary too.
Now I’m curious to see how it works (or doesn’t!) for you:-)
I almost went for this in the Amazon First Reads but in the end settled for something else and now I’m glad I did. It doesn’t sound like something I would be interested in at the moment as I like a bit of escapism in my reading 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…Monthly Summary: February 2023
Oof, sadness! You know it’s funny, I was just reading a book that fairly heavily featured dreams, and it was one of my biggest complaints- no one CARES about your dreams But that one was like this too- you kind of couldn”t tell where the dream began and ended. Nah. I also feel weird about “bad mom” books in general, so. Though I will say, you made me curious about what the heck Hope’s deal was too! But alas, I shall pass on this one, sorry it wasn’t a win for you, hopefully the author’s next books work again for you!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: The Dawn of March
Hmm, sounds like it started with promise, but didn’t pan out as you mentioned. I hate when there are things you think are going to wrap into the story at some point, but don’t ever seem to do it. Great review though!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…The DNF Report #16 – March 2023