I should preface this review by saying that I went to high school with Lauren Coffin. I was very close with her sister but fell out of contact with both of them following graduation when they moved the East Coast and I stayed closer to home. Since a decade has passed since we communicated in a way other than Facebook (and I purchased my copy of Mother Of) I feel I can give an unbiased review. Although I am immensley relieved it is a good debut (sort of, she has quietly released a few other books for e-readers but she is heavily promoting this venture through social media).
I am completely impressed that a girl I built gingerbread houses with during Christmas vacation is now a self published author of a genuinely good novella.
Meredith Mayes’s life has been shrouded in tragedy; her husband, son and sister in law died in a car accident 10 years ago leaving her and her other son, Percy, alone. Unbeknownst to Meredith, Percy has been harboring a dark secret and at the start of our story he is caught burying a body.I gave blood, I donated to charity, I saved lives I, in my job, saved a lot more than twelve lives.
With no question of Percy’s guilt Mother Of is a well written examination of the questions we ask ourselves, particularly as parents, when the people around us make poor decisions. When her nephew, Curtis, arrives at her doorstep she tries to find comfort but he is equally traumatized by Percy’s actions. The narrative is told exclusively through Meredith’s mind’s eye and bounces between her memories and her current crises.
My only complaint, a complaint I often have at the end of compelling novellas, is I wish there had been more, particularly more depth into Percy’s mind, although then it would have been called Son Of…
I look forward to more works of creepy fiction from Lauren, even if she has to continue to apologize to her mother for her choice of material, and am immensely proud to have once called her a close friend.