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jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is set in a near future Australia when most of the population have been "chipped" and are strictly controlled by the Government. Mim's husband Ben works on a mine in Indonesia and when he goes missing she receives a visit from two Government officials ordering her to surrender her passport, to stay home and "offering" to take her children away from her if the stress is too much. Mim is spooked and (extremely improbable plot point) goes on the run with her children and try to find her husband. If you can suspend your disbelief, it turns into a breathless page turner with Mim on the run against unseen forces.
In truth this was probably somewhere between a three and four star read. The plot is improbable, Mim makes ridiculous decisions and the pace is uneven with occasional flashbacks that don't add a lot. However my imagination was captured by the details of the dystopian regime and the second half in particular is truly gripping. Mildenhall also does a great job of balancing Mim the action hero vs Mim the parent and the interactions with the children feel very realistic. The eventual explanation of what happened to Ben was clever, although the ending came together so quickly that I couldn't quite get my head round the details.
So not perfect but still a compulsive page turner set in a relatable near future that I suspect I'll remember and think about for a while.
In truth this was probably somewhere between a three and four star read. The plot is improbable, Mim makes ridiculous decisions and the pace is uneven with occasional flashbacks that don't add a lot. However my imagination was captured by the details of the dystopian regime and the second half in particular is truly gripping. Mildenhall also does a great job of balancing Mim the action hero vs Mim the parent and the interactions with the children feel very realistic. The eventual explanation of what happened to Ben was clever, although the ending came together so quickly that I couldn't quite get my head round the details.
So not perfect but still a compulsive page turner set in a relatable near future that I suspect I'll remember and think about for a while.
mandyherbet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Set in a dystopian future in Melbourne, we follow Miriam (Mim) as she learns that her husband, Ben, is missing while working on a mine in Indonesian. In this future, everybody is chipped and connected to the system and the government is all-seeing and all-knowing. This means that Mim is terrified when they don't know where Ben is and decides to escape Melbourne with her two kids, go off grid and try to find Ben herself.
I get what the author was trying to show - that as a mother Mim was willing and able to do anything she had to in order to keep her family safe - but I don't feel like the world-building was done well enough to really convey the fear and necessity for Mim to react the way she did. And when everything started happening and things got exciting and interesting, we were already 91% through.
Could have been so good, ended up hate-reading just to get some closure.
I get what the author was trying to show - that as a mother Mim was willing and able to do anything she had to in order to keep her family safe - but I don't feel like the world-building was done well enough to really convey the fear and necessity for Mim to react the way she did. And when everything started happening and things got exciting and interesting, we were already 91% through.
Could have been so good, ended up hate-reading just to get some closure.
tonyriver's review against another edition
4.0
A dystopian world, but not that far from where we are now. A woman develops here own strength and wisdom while also facilitating her children to grow in wisdom. An adventure with dark forces, lots of sinister stuff that is never fully explained but that just increases the tension.
A good well written read. Recommended.
A good well written read. Recommended.
bianca89279's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Speculative literature + thriller + topical + lefty leaning themes make for a quick, compulsive read/listen, albeit after finishing it, one was left slightly dissatisfied, in that peculiar way when you had lots of different dishes that appealed to you, you think you couldn't possibly eat more, but somehow there's room for dessert, after all... Apologies for the food analogies, what can I say, I've been home with teenagers who eat me out of the house, not to mention I'm thinking about Christmas and what to cook etc.
Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, wishing you all a good Christmas and a better 2021!
Speculative literature + thriller + topical + lefty leaning themes make for a quick, compulsive read/listen, albeit after finishing it, one was left slightly dissatisfied, in that peculiar way when you had lots of different dishes that appealed to you, you think you couldn't possibly eat more, but somehow there's room for dessert, after all... Apologies for the food analogies, what can I say, I've been home with teenagers who eat me out of the house, not to mention I'm thinking about Christmas and what to cook etc.
Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, wishing you all a good Christmas and a better 2021!
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall is a book I’d been keen to get my hands on so was thrilled to discover a second hand copy recently.
It is set in an Australia of the near future but this is a dystopian world where climate change has impacted society and the government has ever so slowly infiltrated the lives of its citizens. Citizens are now microchipped and The Department is watching.
One day Mim is told her husband Ben is missing from a mine site in Indonesia where he has been working for several months. Ben is unable to be tracked through his chip and The Department has come straight to Mim to contain the situation. She is forced to surrender her and her children’s passports and is left with threats to stay where she is. Panicked she leaves with the children to stay with her family in the country but after a few worrying events she flees and embarks on an epic journey in search of Ben.
The world Mim lives in is eerie and unsettling and the changes that have occurred seem frighteningly possible. I found the first half of the book exciting and interesting as we begin to understand what the current world is like and what threats Mim faces. But once Mim starts her journey I felt the book stalled a little. The journey across the sea is long and a bit tedious with an unnecessary romantic arc. This really slowed down the pace from what was quite a page turner. The ending though felt rushed and pretty far-fetched.
As an exploration of being a woman and mother, I wasn’t totally sold. I found Mim’s decisions perplexing at times and her interactions with her children didn’t always ring true for me. While the second half certainly didn’t grip me as much as the first, the book was overall a commendable thriller. The dystopian element was strongly written, in fact the whole book was written well I just wasn’t particularly hooked plot wise.
Lots of people have loved this book though so if dystopian thrillers are your jam then maybe give this one a go!
It is set in an Australia of the near future but this is a dystopian world where climate change has impacted society and the government has ever so slowly infiltrated the lives of its citizens. Citizens are now microchipped and The Department is watching.
One day Mim is told her husband Ben is missing from a mine site in Indonesia where he has been working for several months. Ben is unable to be tracked through his chip and The Department has come straight to Mim to contain the situation. She is forced to surrender her and her children’s passports and is left with threats to stay where she is. Panicked she leaves with the children to stay with her family in the country but after a few worrying events she flees and embarks on an epic journey in search of Ben.
The world Mim lives in is eerie and unsettling and the changes that have occurred seem frighteningly possible. I found the first half of the book exciting and interesting as we begin to understand what the current world is like and what threats Mim faces. But once Mim starts her journey I felt the book stalled a little. The journey across the sea is long and a bit tedious with an unnecessary romantic arc. This really slowed down the pace from what was quite a page turner. The ending though felt rushed and pretty far-fetched.
As an exploration of being a woman and mother, I wasn’t totally sold. I found Mim’s decisions perplexing at times and her interactions with her children didn’t always ring true for me. While the second half certainly didn’t grip me as much as the first, the book was overall a commendable thriller. The dystopian element was strongly written, in fact the whole book was written well I just wasn’t particularly hooked plot wise.
Lots of people have loved this book though so if dystopian thrillers are your jam then maybe give this one a go!
madeleinekl's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't help comparing this to the glad shout, as it covered very similar thematic ground but I found this a lot more 'fun' to read (as much as a nearly-dystopian cli-fi can be). Action scene after action scene unfolds, but the few still moments are so beautifully written you don't ever really feel exhausted.
nicki_dadic's review against another edition
2.0
It had potential to be good, but with weak characters and an unclear backstory, it lost me.
michellejaclyn's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe more of a 4.5 stars but this was honestly such a good book. I had to stop to remind myself it is a dystopian setting and not our real lives. Highly recommend for anyone who wants something real but other worldly.
windy_witch's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Australia in a dystopian future, Mim’s husband has gone missing and she must do everything in her power to keep her children safe from the powers of government.
A bit of an insight into a potential future reality, where there is no control of what the human race can and cannot do. Controlled only by the power of the government, that track and control our every movement with attempts to break away are savagely dealt with.
Could we be facing a reality like this? It seems all to likely that this may be the future for us and our future generations.
I actually rather enjoyed this novel, a little different to what I would usually read. But it really got me thinking about alternative realities.